The Legend of Zelda: War of Realms
by Twilight Barber
Summary: After Ganondorf's defeat, Link returns to Ordon and goes back to living a peaceful life. However after an attempted kidnap on Princess Zelda and a mysterious raid of Ordon by a mysterious bandit tribe, everything changes. Sequel to Twilight Princess.
1. Chapter 1: Zelda Moves In

**Here is the revised version of chapter 1. The only major thing I changed was Ilia now joins Link in the trip to castle town.**

The Legend of Zelda: War of Realms

Chapter 1: Zelda Moves In

"Link wake up! It's time for our daily sparring lesson!" cried an excited voice from the outside of an open window in the bedroom.

A boy no older than seventeen woke up with a groan. The boy had long shoulder-lengthed, golden hair and deep, ocean-blue colored eyes. His body was very muscular, especially his top half. He was a Hylian, as evidenced by his long pointy ears. His most distinctive physical attribute was the golden Triforce mark that resided on his left wrist. This mark had been with him for as long as he could remember. It was only recently, about eight months ago, that he figured out what it meant. This boy was no ordinary boy. He was chosen by the goddesses to wield the Triforce of Courage. He had also recently started being called the Hero of Twilight, for his actions against the evil Ganondorf had saved both the Light and Twilight realms from corruption.

"What do you want Colin?" Link asked as he sleepily headed towards the window. Looking outside he saw that it was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It wasn't too hot or too cold, a perfect day to take his horse Epona out to stretch her legs. Another thing that made Link glad was that there was no wind. Wind was one of the things that he did not like, as it was always uncomfortable.

"It's time for our daily sparring lesson! Hurry up!" Colin yelled once more.

"I'm coming don't worry," replied Link as he gave a huge yawn. He sleepily walked towards the end of his modestly sized room and opened his closet. There he took out his green tunic and cap that he usually wore. With it, he decided to take out his white undershirt, his brown goatskin gloves, his steel chainmail that he wore under the tunic, his boots that were also goatskin, and his tan pants that stretched down to his ankles. These articles of clothing were kept in great condition, as Link was careful with them. The light spirit Faron had given them to him, and he was determined to cherish them. With these items of clothing, he took out his scabbard that contained the sword given to him by Colin's father Rusl, and the Hylian shield he bought when his Ordonian shield burned to cinders in the Goron Mines.

Once Link was fully dressed and equipped, he walked down the stairs of his house into his kitchen. His kitchen was one of the two rooms that dominated the downstairs of his house, the other being the living room that contained a sofa and a chair for relaxation. He walked over to his sink and turned on the faucet. He grabbed a cup, filled it with water and gulped it down so he could have some energy for what was sure to be a day filled with non-stop sword-fighting. Once he had finished drinking, he turned off the faucet and headed through his front door to go outside.

"It's about time you got out. Come on! I want you to show me the helm splitter!" Colin cried excitedly as he drew his sword and shield.

Colin was Link's longtime friend who lived in Ordon Village with him. He was about twelve years old going on thirteen. He sported bright blond hair similar to Link's that he kept very well combed and tidy. He stood a modest height, with Link being about a head taller than him. He was dressed in a plain white T-shirt and a pair of tan shorts.

Colin had been interested in Link's sword ever since he got it. He had since received a sword and shield of his own from his father. When Link returned to Ordon from his adventure, Colin had excitedly asked him to show him how to use a sword. Link agreed and soon they were meeting for lessons. Everyday at dawn they practiced, Link teaching Colin some of the sword techniques and strategies he had learned during the course of his adventure. Colin had picked up the stuff fast and Link had even started to teach him to shoot a bow. He considered Colin to be an apprentice of sorts.

"All right. But you have to show me that you can do the shield attack first. You seemed to be struggling with that one last time," Link said.

"Whatever, I've been practicing really hard and I've got it down," replied Colin impatiently.

"Show me then."

Link and Colin both drew their swords and touched the tip of the blades together. They then got in their battle positions, each of them surveying the other. Colin drew up to Link aggressively and poked his shield toward him like a jab. Surprised by his quickness, Link fell back slightly.

"Wow Colin I'm impressed," he panted as he straightened himself up. He was definitely awake now. "You have more speed than I expected."

"Maybe you won't underestimate me anymore. Now I want you to teach me how to do the helm splitter move that you were talking about," replied Colin.

"Ok then. Well the helm splitter is very simple actually. You already know the shield attack right? The helm splitter begins by using a shield attack against the enemy. Then when the enemy is stunned from the shield, you jump in the air and strike them down with a two handed slash. Did you get that? Think you understand?"

"Yeah I understood all of that," answered Colin.

"Ok then we'll start practicing. Try it on that scarecrow over there," directed Link pointing to the patch of grass next to his house. He had built multiple scarecrows in his yard so that birds would be scared and wouldn't eat the plants that he and Ilia worked to plant together.

Colin walked over to the scarecrow and readied his sword and shield. He swiftly thrust his shield hitting the scarecrow with great force, causing it to shake and then leapt in the air. He came down and sliced the scarecrow down the middle with his sword, the scarecrow now shaking vertically. Link watched proudly while at the same time dejectedly thinking about how he was going to have to make another scarecrow eventually. Ever since the two of them had started their daily sparring regiment, they had gone through a lot of scarecrows. It had almost become a job for him and Ilia to keep making them. Colin turned back to Link and smiled, excited that he got it.

"Impressive, very impressive. It took me a couple of tries to get the hang of it when I first learned but you seem to have mastered it on your first try. Are you ready for some sparring?" asked Link as he himself pulled out his sword and readied his shield.

"You bet I am!" Colin yelled excitedly as he ran over to Link.

The two readied their swords by touching the blade of each sword against the other one once more. Colin then started to jab at Link with his sword repeatedly with Link blocking with his shield. Link then struck Colin's sword with his, knocking him back and leaving him open. Link jabbed at Colin but he jumped aside and dodged it with the same quickness he showed with his sword. Link quickly pulled his sword back to prepare for Colin's attacks. Colin did a barrage of jabs at Link but he met Colin's blade with his every time. Link did a shield attack that took Colin by surprise, stunning him. He then jumped in the air and prepared the helm splitter. Colin recovered in time to raise his shield above his head, deflecting the blow. Link landed and braced himself for another attack from Colin. Colin jabbed and Link dodged to his right and rolled around to Colin's backside and put his sword to his head.

"Aha Gotcha!" cried Link triumphantly. "You need to be prepared for that otherwise you're dead meet. Anyway let's call it a morning. I'm sweating too much for someone who just woke up."

"Ok Link. We'll pick up again tomorrow. I'll get you someday," replied Colin. He seemed disappointed that Link was still able to take him so easily. He put his sword away and put the scabbard back over his back. He bid Link farewell and walked towards the village.

Link let out a huge sigh, put his sword back in his scabbard and turned to look over his house. It was a decent sized two-story house made of mostly wood. It had a nice roof but lately there had been some holes forming, he suspected that birds or animals were the cause. These weren't too bad except for when it rained. Link had never bothered to fix them because the holes weren't that big and didn't present any problems to him. He noticed the bushes around his house were getting too big and could probably used some trimming, as well as the grass. He made a mental note of all the repairs to be made as he went inside to sit down and relax for a couple of minutes to calm down the adrenaline still rushing through him. He went in the living room and plopped down on his comfortable chair.

_Man Colin's getting pretty good. I'm going to have keep up my training so he doesn't pass me_ he thought to himself as he starred off into space. He started to reflect on his young apprentice. Colin had grown up in the last eight months since he had returned to Ordon. His confidence was sky-high and he was eager to improve his sword fighting in any way possible. He could see that Colin was improving everyday. _All the better, it makes the fights more enjoyable_ Link thought to himself.

Suddenly a piece of the ceiling fell to the floor next to him, just missing his head by about a foot. Finally deciding that he could put it off no longer, he got up and went to the basement so he could get the tools necessary to fix the roof. To access his basement, he had to climb down a ladder that was situated on the side of the room that housed the stairs that led to the upper level of his house. He climbed down and was greeted with the familiar basement darkness. It was dark, but not to the point where he couldn't see. He had always told himself he was going to put a candle down here but he never got around to it.

He walked over to a table at the far end of the rectangular-shaped room. This table had a hammer, some nails and some roof shingles that he had made just for this occasion. Keeping them tucked under one arm, he walked over to the ladder and climbed up so he was back in the living room. He had one more thing to get so he put his supplies down on top of the table in his kitchen and jogged up the stairs to his room.

When in his room, he made his way back to his closet. He opened it and found what he was looking for, his chest filled with his prized possessions. These included all of the unique items that he had collected on his journey. There was one in particular he was looking for though, and he sorted through them trying to find it. After about a minute of rummaging through his items, he found finally found his clawshot. The clawshot was a metal claw that extended and retracted, allowing him to be able to reach high or far away places. Satisfied, he closed the chest and put it away in his closet. With his clawshot in hand, he climbed back down the stairs and picked up the rest of his supplies. With everything in hand, he kicked open his door and walked outside.

Once outside, he aimed his clawshot at a tree branch that was near the roof of his house. The clawshot shot through the air and he was taken up to his roof. He immediately went to work taking the shingles he made and hammered the nails into them. He went at it for more than an hour, constantly hammering away and making sure that each shingle was perfectly aligned with the rest of them; he didn't want any more holes. After two hours of sweat-inducing labor, he was done. He jumped down from the roof with his clawshot and hammer in hand, ready to go inside.

"That was some display you and Colin put on earlier," said a female voice by the bushes. Link looked to his right and saw that his best friend, Ilia was standing there. As soon as he saw her, a smile instantly took over his face. Ilia was the same age as he was; seventeen going on eighteen. She was a little smaller than him, but the difference was only about an inch or two. Her blond hair was neatly combed and was down a little past her shoulders; she had been letting it grow out a little recently. He had to say that he greatly preferred her new longer haircut. She was dressed for the hot summer weather with a white sleeveless blouse and gray pants that only went down to just above her ankles.

"What's up Ilia?" Link asked as he sat down on the front step, eager for even a little bit of rest. His face still had a huge smile on it; he had always been quite taken with Ilia. It was after a couple of seconds that what she said registered in his mind. "You saw Colin and I sword fighting?"

"Yeah I did. Colin's mom asked me to look for him. She said she needed his help for some stuff around the house. I knew he'd be over with you training because you guys go at it everyday. So I came over here and saw that you two had already started. It was a pretty intense fight so I decided to wait until the fight to come get him. But then he ran off past me into the village!" she said as she laughed at the end.

"Oh ok. Why didn't you say hi?" Link asked, a little hurt.

"I did. But you just walked into your house and didn't say anything. I guess you didn't hear me," Ilia responded with a smile.

"Oh. I'm sorry," Link apologized.

"It's ok, don't worry about it," Ilia said as she waved her hand. "Anyway the reason I came by is because my dad has been looking for you. He says he has something important to ask. Why don't we head to the village now?"

"Sure thing," answered Link and he hopped up and headed with Ilia towards the village.

The two of them set off along the dirt path towards Ordon Village. Ordon was very quiet and simple. It wasn't very unique, the most interesting part of the village was a river that ran through the central part of the village. The people who lived there were more interesting that the village itself. As Ilia and Link walked through, they saw many of the residents working outside doing either laundry or planting. Some were even just laying out in the sunlight, enjoying the fresh air. Ilia's father was named Bo and he was the mayor of the village. His house was in the northwest corner of the town next to the path that led to the Ordon Ranch where Link used to work. His house was a little bigger than the others, but not overly extravagant; it was still made out of the same wood material, with some extra designs on the sides that Link wasn't sure of their meaning. When they arrived at the door, Ilia turned to face Link.

"Ok we're here. Let's go inside," she said as she opened the door. When the two of them went inside they were greeted with a house that was similar in structure to Link's. It had two floors and a ladder down to what was assumed to be a basement. Bo's house had a couple of impressive features, the two most glaring being a spiraling staircase that led up to the upstairs and a rather large chandelier hanging from the ceiling of the family room. As with Link's house there were two rooms that made up the downstairs, a kitchen and a living room.

"Ah Link! Ilia! Come in, come in!" called a voice from the stairs. Link and Ilia both turned around and saw Bo walking down the staircase. He sat down on his couch in the living room and motioned for the two of them to do the same.

"I'm going to get straight to the point," he said as Ilia and Link sat down. "I need you to run an errand for me. Ilia, you're certainly welcome to accompany him if you'd like. You see, the water from the river is starting to run a little dry and we need to preserve the water in it as much as we can. I hear that they sell spring water in Castle Town. That would be perfect since spring water is so refreshing. So I need you to travel to Castle Town and buy some spring water. Can you do that?"

"Certainly. I'd love to," Link responded. It would give him something to do and he was always welcome for that.

"Excellent! Here are 60 rupees. That should be enough for three barrels. Have a safe trip!" cried Bo as he reached into his pocket and took out a bag. Link took the bag and felt three big rupees in the bag, presumably red rupees. He thanked Bo and he and Ilia got up and walked to the door. The two of them waved at Bo and exited back into the village.

"Do you mind if I come along?" Ilia asked Link as they walked through the village back towards Link's house.

"No, not at all. I'd welcome the company," Link said with a smile. Ilia grew a smile in return and the two of them walked back the length of the village to Link's house.

"Epona's in Ordon Spring right now. I just want to get a couple of things before we leave," Link said as they reached the door.

"Sure, no problem," Ilia responded as Link opened the door and the two of them walked into the living room.

"I'm going to get some things upstairs. Make yourself at home," Link said as he headed towards the ladder to his room.

"Ok, I'll wait for you down here," Ilia said as she sat down on the couch. Link quickly climbed up the stairs to his room and headed towards his closet again. He opened it and went back to his trunk. He opened it and took all the items that he would feel safe with on his journey. He had one of his clawshots in his pocket already so Link pulled out his bow. He wanted to be safe rather than sorry and with his bow, he felt very safe. He didn't feel that he needed his Dominion Rod, spinner, bombs, Gale boomerang or any other of his assortment of items for this trip. Closing the trunk, he dashed across the room and quickly climbed down the stairs.

"Ready?" Link asked as he walked into the room. Ilia nodded and the two of them headed towards the door. When they were outside, they made a left and headed down the path to Ordon spring.

The path was peaceful. Birds were chirping, the trees were swaying gently in the wind and the sun made the flowers and plants brighter than normal. The walk to the spring wasn't long, it just encompassed a short walk through a small woodland area and then a sharp right to the spring. Link and Ilia made this walk and both smiled when they saw Epona running around in the spring water, having the time of her life. When the horse saw the two of them, she stopped and trotted over to where the two of them were standing.

"Hello girl. I have an errand to do and I need you to help me," Link said sweetly said as he patted Epona's face.

The horse neighed in response and licked Link's face. Ilia came over to pat Epona's head and she greeted her with a lick too. Link helped Ilia onto Epona and once she was situated, got on himself. He grabbed the reigns and pulled the back. Epona gave a loud whinny and started trotting off.

Link led Epona out into the path outside of the spring and made a right. This path would take them down towards a split in the road. The path straight ahead would take them to Faron Woods while the left path would take them past Coro the Lanturn salesman's house and into Hryule Field. Link and Ilia were taking the left path this time. Epona galloped along the path, happy for the chance to stretch her legs. She took the two of them over the bridge along the path and the fork in the road started coming into view. They traveled along the increasingly more mountainous path until they reached said fork in the road. Link slowed Epona down so that she was galloping at a much more modest pace which was safer now that the path was narrower.

The area they were in now was a sort of small enclosure. It was a sort of rest area, as the only interesting place was Coro the lantern salesman's house. Coro always sat outside on a log in front of his house with his bucket of lantern oil at the ready, waiting for travelers to pass by. As Link, Ilia and Epona walked by he picked his head up hopefully but was disappointed, as they weren't buying. He still managed a smile and waved at them as they passed. Link and Ilia waved back, both smiling.

"I've never actually seen anyone buy lantern oil from that guy," Ilia said as they entered the vast expanse known as Hyrule Field. Hyrule Field was a massive expanse of grass, trees, hills and in the far distance, mountains. It connected Hyrule's three provinces, Ordona, Eldin and Lanayru. Up ahead there were three paths, one in the center, one to the right, and one to the left. The left path lead to Kakariko Village so that was no good and the right one eventually took you to Lake Hylia so that one was out of the picture. The path they needed was the one in the center. This path would take them straight to the southern entrance to Castle Town.

"Well I've bought lantern oil form him. It's come in great use too. You're right though I think I was his only customer for awhile," Link responded as he led Epona down the middle of Hyrule Field past some enormous trees. Epona galloped across the land and after a couple of minutes they were coming up on a small split between two hills. This would lead them straight to the entrance to castle town. Sure enough, they came across the great staircase leading to two big black doors. Link had Epona gallop up the ramp in the stairs until they were right next to the two doors. He leapt off of Epona and then helped Ilia down so that she was on the ground again.

"You did great girl, we'll be back so stay here ok?" Link asked. Epona neighed in return. Ilia patted Epona on her head and the two of them started walking to the doors. Once there, Link opened the door and let Ilia go through first. When they went through they were in Hyrule's capital, Castle Town.

Castle Town was a massive city in the middle of Hyrule, much bigger and more crowded than Ordon Village. All the buildings surrounding the area were made out of an elegant marble instead of the wood Ordonians used. The road was made of stone and was paved to provide maximum comfort. Up ahead was the Hyrule town square, where the highlight was the water fountain in the very center of it. As the two of them walked towards the fountain, the biggest difference between the previous time Link had been here and now was apparent. Hyrule Castle used to stand in back of Castle Town square, towering over everything. It was destroyed however in the battle against Ganondorf. Its inclusion in the Castle Town skyline certainly gave the city a more regal and impressive look and feel about it. The castle's reconstruction was under way but it just wasn't the same as when it was still stood tall. The castle being built in its place hardly resembled it at all as it was just the bare outer structure of it. The floors and walls hadn't even been started, making it like a skeleton of the original.

What was convenient about Castle Town's southern entrance however was that it was located near the spring water stand. A Goron and his son ran the stand. Link always thought Gorons were cool as they were in essence, rock people. Gorons stood no bigger than your average human, about five or six feet. They were capable of bending their body into shape to allow them to role at great speeds across flat land. They were also impervious to hot temperatures, as evidenced by their environment of choice, the very hot and menacing Death Mountain. Link felt a bit of pride as he had helped this stand get started. The Gorons had been having some trouble getting spring water to start the stand, so Link helped them out a bit.

"Looks like the line is huge Link," Ilia said with a bit of a disappointed look. Link, who was busy taking in the sights of the city, was snapped out of his stupor and turned to look at the line. It stretched back far, at least thirty people were on line. Link sighed and he and Ilia walked towards the end of the line to wait. He then started staring off into space but something caught his eye.

Two shady looking men in black shirts and pants were moving in and out of the crowd as if they didn't want to be seen. They seemed to be moving suspiciously towards the Castle Town Square. Curiosity got the better of him and he decided to start following them.

"Ilia, come with me. I think there's going to be trouble," Link said and he grabbed Ilia's hand and started leading her after the two men.

"What're you talking about?" Ilia asked, surprised.

"Just follow me, I've got a bad feeling," Link answered. Ilia nodded and followed Link through the crowd of people. A line of people got in their way, but Link was still able to see that the two men headed for Hyrule Inn. The two of them maneuvered their way through the crowd of people and got to the front of the Inn. Link opened the door and the two of them went inside.

He had never been inside the Hyrule Inn before and noticed how good it looked. The walls were a royal blue color and there was a giant crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The room was about the size of Malo Mart, not huge but not small either. There was a staircase in the back that led to all the rooms the hotel had to offer.

"Link what are we doing in here?" Ilia asked, still confused.

"I saw two shady men come in here. I don't know where they are but they're definitely here," Link answered.

Suddenly there was a loud scream. It was a girl's shriek and it was coming from one of the rooms up the staircase. Link took off to the back of the room and up the staircase. Ilia followed behind but wasn't fast enough to keep up with him. Link was up the stairs before she was even halfway up. They climbed the stairs and were greeted by a long hallway with identical doors on each side.

Link heard another shriek and deduced that the room it came from was the third door on the right. He and Ilia, having caught up with him, both ran to the door. He tried to turn the knob but it was locked. Frustrated, he kicked the door hard and it fell down.

Both Link and Ilia gasped at what they saw. The two men he had seen earlier were attempting to kidnap none other than Princess Zelda. The two men were cornering Zelda, with one of them holding a brown bag. The two of them turned around when they heard the door crash to the floor. Link drew his sword and held it out in front of him menacingly. They appeared to be unarmed except for the bag. If they tried to fight, they'd be no match for Link and his sword. When the two men laid eyes on it, they threw their hands up in the air and backed away from Zelda.

"Get out of here or I'll slit your throats!" yelled Link to the two men. They promptly ran out of the room. Smirking a bit, Link put his sword back in his scabbard and looked at the princess. Zelda had a smile on her face as well as a look of relief.

"Thank you Link. You have no idea how timely you were. Those men were trying to bag me up and take me away for some unknown plan of theirs. They took me by surprise so I couldn't react in time. I am deeply grateful for yours and Ilia's arrival," said Zelda while she adjusted the crown on her head. She was sporting her typical brown hair that was tied in a ponytail down her back with pigtails running down next to her face on either side of her. She had on her traditional white sleeveless dress and her brown shoulder plates.

"It was nothing. I didn't do anything except show up," said Link. Ilia laughed when he said this.

"Always so modest. The mere sight of you and a sword was enough to turn criminals into cowards," replied Zelda smiling.

"I do have a question though…" Link began but he was interrupted by a couple of royal guards dressed in silver armor bursting into the room. Each of them was carrying a sword and had on a helmet with a red feather poking out of the back.

"Princess, are you okay? We heard your scream and came as fast as we could," said one of the guards.

"Yes I am fine. Two men tried to kidnap me while you two were mysteriously nowhere to be seen," Zelda answered with an accusing look. "But no matter, I was saved by Link here so no harm done." She gestured towards Link as she said this. The guards turned to look at him with some surprise, as if they didn't realize that he was there.

"Ah! Mr. Link! What a pleasure to see you again," said one of the guards as he shook Link's had vigorously with both of his, almost knocking him over. "I do hope you're well." Link nodded and regained his balance. Ilia laughed at him but stopped when Link gave her a look. She still smiled though.

"Anyway Princess, we need to find another place for you to stay. This Inn does not have the security as I had previously thought," said the guard who had spoken earlier, turning his attention back to Zelda.

"Ok then. Where am I going to stay?" Zelda asked the guards in a bright voice. They had no answer and stammered their words, trying to come up with the idea.

"Why doesn't Zelda come live in Ordon? It's a quiet place removed from the rest of Hyrule. I'm sure she could find somewhere to stay there?" Ilia volunteered.

"Yeah she can stay with me. I've got room for her in my house and I can protect her too. I'll guard her with my life," added Link. The guards mulled this over in their heads.

"Is this wise? I realize that Link is an accomplished swordsman but it might not be the most pleasurable experience staying with him," said one of the guards. Link was a little hurt by this statement but he knew that the guard was just looking out for the princess.

"Yes I think so. Link is more than just an accomplished swordsman. He saved all of Hyrule from Ganondorf so he is more than qualified to be my protector. So I'll have no more on the subject. Guards, prepare my things and send them to Ordon Village," replied Zelda looking at Link the entire time. The two guards saluted and left through the door to the room.

"Well we've got to get going. We still have to buy some spring water and take it back to Ordon. That's what we originally came here for," Link said as he and Ilia started heading towards the door.

"Hang on Link. I'll come with you and tell the Goron that you can take as much spring water as you feel free of charge. It's my thanks," Zelda said as she smiled and followed Link and Ilia out the door and into the hallway. The three of them crossed the hallway and walked down the stairs into the main lobby. They opened the door and were out in the square. It was getting to be midday now in Castle Town so there appeared to be more and more people hustling and busting around the town. As they walked along the stone road back to the spring water stand, Link saw people talking with each other, some kids playing around in the fountain and numerous others carrying Malo Mart shopping bags. As they passed by citizens of the town, each and every one of them greeted them by saying hello. A couple of these were directed at Link and Ilia from people who recognized them, however the majority of them were for the princess. Zelda smiled and said joyful hellos back to everyone. It was just as busy as it always was here.

As the stand came into view, they saw that the line was considerably shorter than before. Link, Zelda and Ilia walked over and got in the back of the line to wait. When it was their turn to order, the Goron manning the stand went wide-eyed.

"Good…Good m-morning Princess Zelda! What a surprise to see you here! What can I do for you?" stuttered the surprised Goron.

"I want you to give Link here as many barrels of spring water as he wants. Free of charge ok?" said Zelda.

"Yes Princess Zelda! Anything for you Princess Zelda!" the Goron said as he turned to Link and asked "How many barrels would you like brother?"

"Three is fine," said Link quietly. He appreciated Princess Zelda helping him but he didn't like getting special treatment. He didn't like the idea of just taking three barrels of spring water free of charge.

"Here you go brother!" announced the Goron as he gave him his three barrels. Link took one, as well as Ilia and Zelda. When Zelda wasn't looking, Link slipped the bag of money onto the stand and the three of them walked out of the line's way to the side of the road. It suddenly hit Link that the three of them were going to have trouble carrying them all the way back to Ordon.

"I think we're going to have some trouble taking these all back home," said Link, voicing his concerns aloud.

"Not to worry, I can make them all smaller so you can fit them in your pocket. Once you take them out again, they'll regain their original size," smiled Zelda. She twirled her hand and suddenly the three barrels became bottle-sized. Both Link and Ilia thanked Zelda and took one of the spring water barrels and put it in their pockets. Zelda took the third one and put it in hers.

"Shall we head for Ordon then?" Zelda asked. Both Link and Ilia stopped and turned around as she said this.

"You're coming with us? What about your belongings? What about protection?" Ilia asked, confused.

"My royal guards can bring them for me tomorrow, and Link is all the protection I need," Zelda answered with a smile.

"Thank you," Link said, as he blushed a bit. "Let's head for Ordon then!" he added.

The three of them walked along the stone road until they reached the southern entrance. Epona was standing by the protective railing looking like she was enjoying the relaxation. When the three of them climbed down the stairs, Link put his fingers in his mouth and whistled for her to come over. Looking up, Epona saw the three of them and rushed over to greet them.

"Hey girl, time to go back," Link said as he was greeted with a lick on the cheek. He helped the two girls onto the horse's back and as quick as a flash they were off.

As they entered Hyrule Field, Link's thoughts turned to the two men who were trying to capture Princess Zelda. His first thought was that the two of them were very stupid. They tried to kidnap the princess of Hyrule, in broad daylight, with nothing but a brown paper bag. It was a very poorly thought out plan of attack. Ilia and the Princess were chatting about life in Castle Town. Ilia was very interested because of her upbringing as a country girl. This bothered Link because it seemed like the two of them weren't paying attention to the serious topic at hand; someone had tried to capture Princess Zelda.

They rode past Coro's house and after they turned right at the fork in the road, headed back for the village. Trees and bushes seemed to fly by as Epona led them past and towards Ordon. Link led Epona over to the Mayor's house so he could drop Ilia off. All three of them took the barrels of spring water out of their pockets and handed them to Ilia. When Ilia put the three barrels by her door, they Zelda made them regain their original size.

"Thanks for bringing me along Link. It was nice to meet you Princess Zelda. Ill see you two later," Ilia said as she hopped off Epona. She waved to the two of them as they went off and then went inside.

Just the two of them now, Link and Zelda traveled across the village to Link's house. Once they were there Link hopped off and tied Epona up. He helped Zelda down and led her to the door. He opened it and the two of them went inside.

"Well as you can see, this is my house," Link said, secretly wishing that it were a little more extravagant. "I only have one bed so you can have it and I'll sleep down here."

"Thank you Link. I'm sure it will be quite comfortable," Zelda responded with a smile.


	2. Chapter 2: The Raid

**Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who took the time to read this story. I finished writing chapter two early so I decided to post it. My apologies for posting this chapter and then taking it down again. I was rereading it and saw many gramatical errors that I missed and I didn't want you to suffer.**

Chapter 2: The Raid

Link awoke in the middle of the night very abruptly. He looked at his left hand and saw that the Triforce of Courage mark on his hand was shining quite brightly. This was very odd as he didn't know it could do that. He thought that it only happened when Triforce bearers are in the vicinity with each other and it hadn't shined bright like this when he was around Zelda. He figured it had something to do with the dream he had been having.

He had been dreaming about the journey he had been on with Midna and the battle with Ganondorf. Link had never really thought about his adventure before. Compared to his life in Ordon now it seems like a dream. Everything was so fast-paced on that journey and everything was interesting. In Ordon, life is very slow and most of the time the day goes by without any significant events happening. Then the same thing happens again the next day.

Link would never say it to anyone, but he actually missed that hectic lifestyle. Even not knowing if you were going to live the next day was exciting. There was so much adrenaline rushing in his veins all the time, especially when battling the many creatures he fought along the way like Zant and Morpheel. In Ordon, the most exciting thing he did was stop the goats from escaping the ranch. He missed the temples, the enemies, the bosses and the challenging puzzles that really put his mind to the test.

Link then reasoned that he must not get greedy in wanting too much out of life. He might have been spoiled during that adventure. He should not come to expect that everyday. Besides he was lucky to have the life he had in Ordon. It could be much worse. He had great friends in Ilia, Colin, Talo, Malo and Beth. Zelda was also staying with him now. Princess Zelda trusted him to take care of her. Link should consider himself lucky.

However Link knew that this was not the only reason he missed his adventure. The thing he missed the most about his adventure was Midna. Midna leaving left a big impact on Link. Link and Midna shared a very close bond when they were on their quest. Link and Midna were like best friends. Midna would always be there when Link needed her and give him advice. Link had even saved Midna's life when Zant exposed her to the light of the light beast. And now that Midna was gone forever, Link didn't know what to think. Nobody would be able to replace Midna in Link's heart.

Link sighed and tried to fall back asleep. He succeeded within minutes.

Link awoke the next morning feeling very refreshed from a long day yesterday. He knew he had another long day ahead of himself today. He had several chores he had to do that he had been putting off for awhile, mainly doing some landscaping in the yard and preparing pumpkin seeds for growing. Link climbed down the stairs and arrived in the living room. He then crossed into the kitchen. He poured himself some water so he could have something to drink. He downed the water in no time and went back upstairs to put his clothes on. He climbed up the stairs and went to his room. He took his green tunic, hat, chainmail, white T-shirt, pants and gloves out of his closet and put them on. After he was all dressed, he went downstairs and headed towards the door. He was set to begin when he heard Zelda coming down the stairs.

"Good morning Link," greeted Zelda. She was wearing a simple white night gown. Link supposed she had just gotten up.

"Morning Zelda," replied Link.

"It sure is quiet around here isn't it?" asked Zelda.

"Yeah but you get used to it after awhile. It must be always hectic in Castle Town ," said Link.

"Yes but I like it better this way. It's a nice change being able to actually relax when I wake up and not have to stress out about something," said Zelda. Link nodded in understanding.

"Well anyway, I've got some work to do. I've got to do some yard work and I have some seeds to plant," said Link as he went to the door.

"Wait a minute Link. I'll help you out. Let me plant the seeds and you can focus on the yard work. It's the least I could do for letting me stay here with you," suggested Zelda.

"Sure if you want to," replied Link.

Zelda smiled and grabbed the seeds that Link had grabbed on the table. Zelda then went outside and started planting them without even getting dressed first. Link followed and started the yard work. First he got rid of the awful stump in the yard that had been there for ages. That had taken a long time since the stump was being stubborn and did not easily come out. Link's back ached after he had successfully taken it out. Then he cut the grass and trimmed the bushes by his house. This took less time than taking out the stump. Link was glad as he had been out here for a while now. Finally he cut down a tree that was dead with his sword. Zelda had finished planting and had been watching Link finish. The sun was already starting to set. Link had no idea that he had taken so long to do all of these chores. He had been distracted all day by thoughts of Midna. He wondered how she was doing.

Finally down with the chores, Link was mildly sweating. He walked over to Zelda. She was now wearing her normal dress instead of the nightgown.

"How long have you been done?" he asked. "And when did you get dressed?"

"For a couple of hours. And I went in and got dressed after I finished planting the seeds. Then I came out here to watch you and to offer some more help. However you seemed to be so busy so I didn't disturb you" answered Zelda. "How come you took so long? I figured you would be done much quicker."

"I don't know. I guess I wasn't focused entirely on the task," answered Link.

The two of them walked inside and prepared to go to sleep. Link bade Zelda good night as he went to the couch and Zelda went upstairs.

The next morning, Link was asked to help the village folk with chores. Colin and Talo had barged in Link's house and woken him up. Link supposed he had forgotten to lock the door last night. Zelda had once again offered to help and Link had accepted. This had surprised Link. He was surprised that Zelda was so keen to do work in the fields and get dirty. He hadn't really gotten to know her during the journey as he was a wolf the first two times he met her so he wondered if she would be the type of princess that was lazy and liked to sit around and boss people around. He was glad to have found out that she was far from that. She was a really nice person and he was glad.

Zelda was helping Ilia put up some laundry when there was a sound of horses coming through the entrance to the village. Link looked up and saw three or four bandits on horses riding towards them.

"Everyone, get inside quick!" yelled Link. The village folk started to panic and rushed to get inside. Ilia ran towards Talo and Malo who were by the river and led them inside. The two of them protested but Ilia wouldn't have it.

"Zelda! Stay close to me!" yelled Link and Zelda obliged and stood next to him. The four bandits turned around and stopped to look at Link. The bandits had greyish skin and brown hair. Link thought thta they looked like Ganondorf a little bit. They then got off their horses and started to walk towards Link.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" asked Zelda furiously.

The bandits didn't answer but continued to walk towards Link and Zelda. Link noticed that the bandits were dressed the same way as the bandits that he had thwarted in Castle Town. Link nodded at Zelda and she stayed back as Link drew his sword and walked towards the bandits.

"You are foolish enough to take on all four of us at once? You will pay dearly," one of them said.

Link said nothing but waited in anticipation of the attack. The four bandits slowly walked and stood on each side of Link thus boxing him in with no means of escaping.

Then suddenly, they all lunged at Link. Link, who had been waiting for this, quickly spun around and knocked all of them back. They all now sported cuts on their arms and legs.

"We have found the Triforce bearers at last. How perfect that they are in the same spot. We must tell our leader that we have found them," one of them said.

The bandits hurried to their horses and rode off out of the village.

"That was awesome Link! You took out all four at once!" praised Colin as he ran towards him.

"Colin, do not get lax in your training. I want you to continue training and we shall practice everyday, twice a day. I have a hunch that these bandits will return and I may not be enough next time. There may be too many. You understand?" asked Link.

"Yes sir! I won't let you down Link!" replied Colin enthusiastically. He then ran home to get his sword and shield.

"You really did do a good job Link," said Zelda. She was standing by the bridge that crossed the river. "There is one thing that bothers me though. How do they know about the Triforce? Why are they searching for the Triforce bearers?" asked Zelda.

"I have no idea. Your guess is as good as mine," replied Link. "But we must be ready when they come back. I only hope they don't bring too many of them with them next time. One thing is for certain though. You and I have to stick together. We can't risk them capturing one of us." Zelda nodded in agreement.

Colin came back with his sword and shield. He was ready to practice with Link. Link was more than ready so he drew his sword and he and Colin began to duel. They dueled non-stop until it was twilight out. Link and Colin finally called it a day when the sun set. Colin put his sword back in his scabbard and Link in his. Then Colin headed back for his house and Link turned around to face Zelda.

"I think it's time we went home," said Link. Zelda nodded and they both went to Link's house. When they got inside they both immediately went to bed.

Link did not sleep easy that night. He couldn't help but wonder what those bandits were after. Well, he knew they were after the Triforce bearers. The real question though was: why? Why were a group of regular bandits be looking for the Triforce of Courage and the Triforce of Wisdom? Surely it wasn't to make a wish on the completed Triforce? That would be futile because Ganondorf was dead. Link could not come up with any other ideas. He did know that they would be back however. The only question was when. He and Colin would just have to practice like never before. Link had to admit that Colin was now a very accomplished swordsman. He is almost as good as Link he would say. Link slowly drifted off to sleep as he started counting the number of goats that had escaped from the ranch in the past week.

When morning came, Link was more than ready to wake up. He was actually looking forward to him and Colin's daily swordfight. Link had to admit that he was having fun with Colin because of the adrenaline that rushed through him when he was fighting with his blade. Link got off the couch and headed towards the kitchen to see Zelda sitting by the table. She seemed to be staring off into space. She was also fully dressed so she must have been down here for awhile.

"How come you're up so early?" asked Link as he crossed towards the door to head out.

"I couldn't sleep much so I just came down here. Oh are you going to fight Colin again? Wait for me I have to see this. You two are the two best swordsmen I've ever seen," said Zelda as she headed to the door.

"Thanks," muttered Link as he got red around the ears. Zelda smiled.

They headed outside. Today it was a little cloudy and windy. Link would have said that this was a bad omen but then he thought he was just being paranoid. Link and Zelda walked up the path leading to the center of Ordon. As soon as they arrived they saw Colin and Ilia walking towards them.

"Hey Link! Me and Ilia were just headed over to your house to come and get you," said Colin.

"I saw Colin headed over to your house so I knew that he was going to train with you again. The sword fight before was amazing so I decided to come and watch," explained Ilia.

Link and Colin stared at each other and prepared to fight. Suddenly there came the sound of many horses speeding towards the village. They seemed to be coming from Faron Woods.

"They're back!" yelled Link. Link drew his sword and prepared to fight the oncoming bandits. "Colin, be ready! Zelda and Ilia stand behind us!" Link, Zelda, Ilia and Colin all backed towards the riverbank and waited.

"Colin where's your dad?" asked Ilia. Rustl was an accomplished swordsman. He would be sure to help them.

"He's still at home. I could go get him," answered Colin. But it was too late. The bandits would get here before Colin could get very far.

After minutes of waiting, dozens of horses appeared in the entrance to Ordon Village . They then stopped. All the bandits got off of their horses and walked towards Link, Zelda, Ilia and Colin. Link and Colin were still brandishing their swords. Slowly they all formed a semicircle around Link, Zelda, Ilia and Colin.

"You and the princess are coming with us," one of them said. Link noticed that they were all carrying weapons. They either had clubs or large sticks or a small metal rod. "You can come quietly or we'll have to hurt you and take you by force."

"No way! You won't get a hold of us!" yelled Colin.

"I wasn't talking about you little boy. We merely have need for the princess and the green-claded one," the same bandit said.

Suddenly Colin started slashing with his sword with no warning at all. Link was shocked at the quickness of Colin's swipes. He had not shown that lightning fast slash when Link had fought him. The bandits were so stunned that they couldn't get their weapons up in time to defend Colin's blows. Link was taken aback but realized it was a smart move. It was to prevent all the bandits from preparing their weapons. Link followed suit and started slashing too. The bandits were all too off-guard to take the blows and before anyone could do anything about it, Link and Colin had taken out at least three quarters of the tribe. But now the ones that weren't injured on the ground came towards Link and Colin carrying metal rods and clubs.

The enemies came closer and swung their clubs at Link. Link blocked the blows with his shield and quickly jabbed at the enemies with his sword, knocking them out. Link glanced at Colin and saw that he was having a little bit more trouble than him but still doing ok. By now, most of the tribe lay unconscious on the ground. However there were still about two dozen enemies left.

Link suddenly heard a scream. Link turned around and saw Ilia being dragged toward the bandits' horses.

A club then came right for Link's head. Colin blocked it with his sword.

"Link! You can't stand still for too long or they'll get you!" yelled Colin who had obviously not heard Ilia getting captured.

Link pointed in the direction of Ilia. The bandit had already gotten on his horse and was speeding off towards Ordon Spring. They would never catch him.

There were still enemies to be defeated however. Link and Colin moved together with their swords together. They then slashed out and jabbed the remaining enemies and knocked them all unconscious.

"Well they really were pushovers. And after that entire tough guy act they put on," said Colin putting his sword back in the scabbard.

"Yes but what are we going to do about Ilia?" asked Link.

"I would love to help but we don't know where she is. She could be anywhere in Hyrule. We have equally important matters that are still going on here.

"I think that this place is no longer safe. The bandits are sure to come back and the village will be in great danger. The bandits could not come after us and instead hurt some of the village members. I think we should escort them to somewhere safer here," said Zelda.

"Where would that be though?" asked Colin.

"How about Kakariko Village? Some of the villagers can stay in the hotel there and some can stay with Renado the Shaman. I'm sure Renado would be glad to help," suggested Link.

The village folk were starting to come out of the village. They had been in hiding when they saw the bandits coming. Bo and Rustl led the way with everyone behind them.

"What happened? Why were all those bandits attacking you guys?" asked Bo. "And I thought Ilia was with you guys? Where is she?"

"She was captured. The bandits took her away," said Zelda.

"Well what are we standing around for? Let's go get her!" said Bo angrily.

"We don't know where she is. We need to have a clue before we go looking for her. Besides we have equally important matters to discuss with all of you.

"Link, Colin and I have been discussing this and we believe that this village is no longer safe. The plan is to move all of you to Kakariko Village where you will be safe from the bandits. You would stay in the Kakariko Village Inn that is to the west of the Barnes Bomb shop. We wanted to get your opinion on this however. Do you think this is a good idea?" said Zelda.

"Well who are we to argue with the princess of Hyrule? When do we set out for Kakariko Village ?" asked Rustl.

"We were thinking about setting off tomorrow so you would have time to pack anything you would need," said Link.

"Well that sounds like a plan to me. Tomorrow it is then," said Bo. Rustl and the Bo walked back to their houses to begin packing. Everyone followed suit.

"Well I should probably go and get packing," said Colin and he walked towards his house. Ilia followed Colin and they were both inside their houses quickly.

"We should get going too Link. We have a long day ahead of us and we need to get some sleep," said Zelda.

Link nodded and they walked back to Link's house. Once inside they both went to sleep to prepare for the next day.

**Next Chapter: The Master Sword**


	3. Chapter 3: The Master Sword

**Author's Note: It appears that in my previous chapter, I made an error. When Link was thinking about his friends, I mentioned Fado. I don't know what I was thinking. I meant Talo. Anyway, here is Chapter 3. It is currently the longest chapter so far.**

Chapter 3: The Master Sword

Link awoke the next day with a sense of purpose. He was one of the key players in getting the entire village to migrate to Kakariko Village. He actually was a little excited. Link got out of bed and crossed over to the closet to get out his traditional green clothes. According to the Light Spirit Ordona, these clothes had once belonged to a great hero. Link had done whatever he could to keep these clothes in great shape.

Link also decided to take many of the items he had collected on his journey with him. He didn't think that he would need all of them however and decided to only bring some of them. The ones he did decide on bringing with him were his bow, his double clawshot, his lantern, his gale boomerang and his iron boots. He also brought along the horse call that could call Epona. He didn't think he'd need the slingshot, dominion rod, fishing rod or ball and chain. Link hesitated about the spinner. He didn't think he'd really need it, but he loved riding on it, especially since he had gotten it fixed. He took it to Talo one day to show it to him. Talo had figured out that it was broken and that once it was fixed it would be able to go faster and much longer distances. Talo said that the spinning part was broke and couldn't move that easily. Link had asked him how he knew that and Talo said that he learned a lot about machinery from Barnes in Kakariko Village. Barnes wasn't just an expert in bombs, it turned out. He loved all machinery, he just had a love for bombs.

Link had then asked Talo if he would be able to fix it. Talo had said yes but it would take a couple of weeks. True to his word, Talo had it repaired in three weeks time, and Link was able to enjoy all the benefits from his finally complete spinner. Talo had added an on and off button and so Link could go on and on for as long as he wanted. Also there was a new small switch on the left hand side of his spinner that went straight up. The more Link pulled down, the faster it would go. Link loved riding on the spinner. A couple months ago he took it out to Hyrule Field and just rode around all day. Link hoped he would have some occasions to ride on his spinner during the journey.

With Link's weapons all secure in his bag, Link headed downstairs to sit at the table in his kitchen until Zelda woke up. Link had been waiting for about an hour when he decided that Zelda wasn't waking up anytime soon. Link looked out the window and reasoned that had a reason for not waking up so early. It was still dawn. The sun had barely begun to rise. No one liked to wake up at this time.

Link decided that he needed to do something so he wouldn't get bored. He took out his sword and looked at it. This sword was crafted by the best blacksmith in Ordon Village, Rustl. The blade was a sort of creamy color and the hilt was blue. Link took good care of this sword because he knew that he would need to go without a sword for a few days while Rustl made a new one. Link didn't think he would be able to go without a sword for that long. Colin certainly wouldn't like it. Colin's sword was almost exactly like Link's sword except it was a little smaller and lighter. Probably because he was smaller than Link. Link had thought that the sword was getting small for him however because Colin had grown quite a bit in the past several months. Link supposed that was why he was so fast with the sword.

Although Link never told Colin that he had another sword locked up in the Sacred Grove for whenever he needed it. That sword was better than any sword he'd ever laid eyes on.

Link suddenly heard footsteps along the stairs. Link stood up and got ready to meet Zelda. Zelda came down the stairs already fully dressed. Maybe she had been up for a while too and did not come down because she was thinking?

"Well, let's go outside and see what the villagers are up to," said Zelda. "Let's see if they're ready yet."

Link nodded and led the way outside. It was still very early out. The sun had only just risen and it was very quiet. Link breathed in the fresh morning air. He had rarely been outside this early in the morning and he made a mental note that he had to get up early sometimes. Link and Zelda walked along the path that led to the entrance to Ordon Village.

They arrived in Ordon Village and saw to Link and Zelda's great surprise that the villagers were already up and about and were loading up their supplies in a carriage. There were two carriages and each carriage was being pulled by a horse. There was a third horse not tied up to a carriage and Link wondered what that was for. As Link and Zelda approached they saw that none of the villagers seemed to be remotely sad that they were moving out of their homes. Link thought that this was strange because as boring as it was here sometimes, this place had a charm that he wouldn't trade for anything.

"Good morning Link. Good morning Princess Zelda," said Colin as he walked up to the two. He had his sword and shield on his back and was carrying his bow. He appeared to be in a very good mood.

"Please Colin. You don't have to call me Princess Zelda. Just Zelda is fine," said Zelda smiling. Link laughed as he had had this same conversation with Zelda too.

"Sorry it's just that I feel kind of awed talking to you. You are the princess of Hyrule after all. Anyway we're just about ready to start for Kakariko Village. Only a couple more people have to pack," replied Colin a little red in the face.

"That's excellent. We weren't expecting you to be ready as soon as we got up," said Zelda.

"Well we wanted to get an early start and leave as soon as we can. So we all woke up and got packing as fast as we could. That way, even if the bandits came back again we'd be gone by the time they got here," said Colin proudly.

"Colin, what's the third horse for?" asked Link.

"Oh that's for me. I'll be riding outside the carriages with my sword at the ready just in case there are any enemies that try and attack the carriages. Ilia's dad wasn't so sure that I was needed because we already had you protecting the carriages. But I convinced him that we would have even more security if I was riding along side one side of the carriages and you and Zelda were riding on the other side. That way we could protect both sides of the carriages," explained Colin.

"That makes a lot of sense," said Link satisfied with the answer he had received. The three of them walked over to the carriages and saw that everyone was done and was ready to go.

"We're all ready to go! Whenever you guys are ready!" called Bo the mayor from in front of the left carriage. He was driving the left carriage and Rustl was handling the right carriage.

"Ok we're going to get on our horses!" called Link. Colin ran toward his horse and got on. Link blew his horse call and Epona came running up to Link. Link helped Zelda get up and then got up himself and sat down in front of Zelda. They then went in front of the carriages and led the way out of the villages. The carriages followed them one after the other and Colin rode in back of the carriages and picked up the rear. They soon passed Link's house and went out towards the path that led to Faron Woods. The path towards Faron woods was very narrow so the carriages were forced to slow down as to not knock into anything. They soon passed Ordon Spring and were coming up to the bridge that led to Faron Woods. Everyone was forced to slow down even more as they approached it. Link and Zelda crossed first and found that it was a little loose today.

"Hey! Only go across one at a time! I don't think the bridge will able to support both of the carriages at once!" yelled Link to Rustl and Bo. Bo and Rustl gave the ok sign to show that they understood. When Link and Zelda crossed the bridge they stopped to make sure that the carriages got across safely. Bo's carriage crossed first, making sure to go very slow. He made it across no problem. Next Rustl's carriage crossed. The bridge wobbled a little bit but he too made it across. Next Colin crossed and the carriages got moving again. Link and Zelda once again went to the front of the line and led the way. They then came up to the fork in the road. Link and Zelda led the carriages left. Link had some doubts if the carriages would be able to fit but they made it no problem. They passed Coro the lantern salesman's house and went to the path up ahead.

They arrived in Hyrule Field. The large expansiveness of Hyrule Field meant that they could move faster. It also meant however that there were enemies that would attack the carriages. Sure enough, as soon as the carriages made it out into the open expansiveness of the field, some birds flew over to them. Link easily disposed of them with his bow however. Link and Zelda led the path to the westernmost path of Hyrule Field. This path would lead them right into Kakariko Village. Link heard the sound of more birds dying. Obviously Colin had managed to dispose of them nicely with his bow. Link smiled to himself, his training of Colin was really starting to pay off. The carriages turned to the right and headed up upon Kakariko Gorge. There was a small bridge that they needed to cross. Link and Zelda passed over easily with Epona and they turned to wait for the other carriages. The two carriages slowed down and crossed the bridge with no problems with Colin bringing up the rear. Link and Zelda led the carriages to a sort of valley. The carriages had to slow down a little bit as the path became narrower.

They traversed the path and arrived in Kakariko Village. Kakariko Village looked great in the morning. The water by the Lake Spirit's cave was shining brightly in the light of the sun. All the houses lined up against the walls of the valley had lights extinguished in their windows as the inhabitants were obviously still asleep. The houses in this village were not that much different from Ordon except that they were surrounded by mountains. Malo Mart and Barnes Bomb Shop were the two stores that stood out in this village. Both buildings were bigger than the other buildings and they had signs sporting logos. This was especially true for Malo Mart as Malo's face was everywhere. Next to these two buildings were some village houses and next to Malo Mart was the Kakariko Village Inn. This was where he, Telma and Ilia had brought Prince Ralis when he was ill. It was also where they planned to keep the Ordonians during their stay.

As they approached the houses, all the carriages stopped. Link looked at Renado's house and saw that he was up already and was watering his grass. Link and Zelda got off Epona and walked over towards Renado.

"Link! Princess Zelda! What a pleasant surprise!" cried Renado in surprise when the two of them came up to him. "What brings you to Kakariko Village?"

"We were hoping that the people of our village could stay here for a little while," said Link. "Is that a problem?"

"No not at all. I'll make the necessary arrangements so your village members can stay in the Kakariko hotel. But why may I ask is this necessary? How come you are no longer living in Ordon?" asked Renado very confusedly.

"Ordon Village was attacked by a group of bandits looking to capture Link and myself," explained Zelda. "Ilia has been captured already and we thought the bandits might come back and make another attempt to capture us. We thought that this would be the safest place to bring the village members."

"Ah, I see… hmm," said Renado with his hand on his chin. "Ilia has been captured? That's a shame. Are you going to go look for her?"

"Of course we are!" cried Link, a little insulted at this question.

"We were going to once we got settled here. We don't have any leads however so we might be on a wild goose chase," explained Zelda.

"I see… Well if I could be of any help just ask. I'll go talk to the keeper of the Kakariko Village hotel now and get you all rooms that you can settle into," said Renado and he walked over to a house in the middle of the village and went inside. Link and Zelda went back and helped the villagers unload their stuff from the carriages. Then everyone walked toward the hotel and went inside.

Inside they saw Renado talking to a man. The man appeared to be in his early forties. His hair was becoming gray and he wore glasses. He was dressed in a dark blue uniform with a badge on the front that was decorated with a red capital K with a white background. When Link, Zelda and the townspeople came inside, Renado turned around and smiled.

"Ok I have been talking to my friend here and he says that there are rooms available. All I need for you to do is form a line and get everything sorted out with him here," said Renado gesturing to his friend the hotel manager.

Everybody got in a line just like they were told to. Link and Zelda waited until the line was formed and got at the end of the line. One by one, the townspeople took care of their business and went up to their rooms. Link took the time to glance at the hotel. It appeared to be remodeled since the last time Link was in this room. Behind the desk there were doors that leaded to rooms in the hotel. On either side of the hotel there were stairs that led to a second floor. At the top of the stairs there were corridors with more rooms. If Link could guess, he would say there were about fifteen rooms in this hotel. When Link and Zelda got to the desk, the manager frowned at them and pushed his glasses up his nose.

"I'm sorry but those last two took the last room available. Sorry but there's no more room," he said gesturing to Ilia and Bo.

"That's ok. They can stay with me. Come with me you two and I'll show you to your room," said Renado. Link and Zelda followed him outside. They then went to the edge of the town to Renado's hut. They went inside. Renado led them to a door in the back that led them to two rooms.

"I'm sorry but there are only two rooms here. Zelda, you can room with my daughter. Her room is bigger so it can fit two people. Link I would have you sleep with me but there's just no room in my room. But there is a rather comfortable couch that you could sleep on in the main room," said Renado apologetically.

"That's ok. I was getting used to sleeping on the couch at my house anyway," replied Link. Zelda smiled. Zelda then came closer to Link with an important look on her face.

"Link could I talk to you a minute outside?" asked Zelda.

"Certainly," answered Link. Link and Zelda thanked Renado for his generosity and then walked outside. The sun was fully up now and it looked to be midday.

"What's up?" asked Link.

"Well I've been thinking. What if these bandits aren't the real bad guys? What if they're only the minions of a bigger evil presence? I mean I don't think that ordinary bandits would know about the Triforce," Zelda explained.

"That makes a lot of sense. What can we do about it?" asked Link.

"Well I was thinking that we should go and get the Master Sword," Zelda said.

"Hmm… I guess it couldn't hurt. It would only add more security," Link reasoned. "Do you want to go now?

"Yes. The sooner we get the Master Sword the sooner we can have the greater security. Evil beings may not be defeated by the regular sword you have now," answered Zelda. Zelda had convinced Link enough.

"Ok then. Let's go."

Link and Zelda walked over to Epona and got on. Just then, Colin came running over.

"Hey where are you guys going?" he asked.

"We have something we need to do. It should only take about an hour or two. Can you tell Renado that we're leaving?" asked Zelda.

"Sure. Can I come with you?" asked Colin hopefully.

"No. We need you to help your dad protect the village in case of an attack," answered Link before Zelda could.

"Ok. Get back as fast as you can," answered Colin, defeated.

Link and Zelda rode Epona out of Kakariko Village and into Hyrule Field. They went north past Kakariko Gorge to the entrance that leads back to Faron Woods. They entered the woods and stopped at Coro the lantern salesman's house. Coro was a small man with a blue huge hat that lived on the outskirts of Hyrule Field. Coro was sleeping. Link got off Epona and prodded him awake.

"Bah! Who's awakened me? Oh it's you boy. I can fill your lantern for twenty rupees. Would you like me to do that?" asked Coro.

"Yes," answered Link.

"Thank you sir," thanked Coro after Link had given him the money. Link then took out his lantern and Coro filled it with lantern oil. Link thanked him and got back on Epona. They then rode towards the fork in the road. Link went left this time and stopped by the gate. He and Zelda got off and entered the cave that led to Faron woods.

Inside it was pitch black. Zelda moved closer to Link. Link took out his lantern and the cave was illuminated. Link took out his sword and kept it ready because he knew that there were enemies in here. He and Zelda walked forward. Some bulbins up ahead saw them and ran towards them with their clubs raised. Link slashed them and they fell to the ground, dead. They progressed on. Some bats flew towards them. Link got them with his sword too and they fell to the ground, lifeless. Link and Zelda encountered no further obstacles however as they made it to the end of the cave. They came out of the cave in Faron Woods.

Faron Woods was as dark as always. The sun never shined in Faron Woods because of all the thick trees. There were trees everywhere with huge thick leaves and branches. Link was glad to see that the poisonous fog that usually covered the ground was gone. That means that they could continue their trek through Faron Woods without much difficulty.

"How much farther is it?" asked Zelda. Apparently she had never actually been to the Sacred Grove.

"Not much farther. We just need to get through this forest and then we're practically at the entrance to the Sacred Grove," answered Link.

The two of them traversed the forest and quickly were at the gate that led them out of here. They then came to another path. This path however led to the forest temple that was here. Link and Zelda were not headed here. Just up a little farther there was a cliff to the right of the forest temple path. Link and Zelda came up to said path.

Link took out his clawshot and turned to Zelda.

"I'm going to use my clawshot to connect to those tree branches down there. Just hold onto me ok?" Link said.

Zelda nodded and grabbed Link's waist. Link then shot his clawshot at the tree branch and him and Zelda were shot through the air and reached the tree and dropped down.

"That was not something I want to do on a regular basis," said Zelda breathing heavily.

"Well we have to do it one more time so get ready," said Link. Zelda gripped Link's waste again and the two of them shot through the air with the clawshot. They came to a sort of ledge. There were two platforms that were turning in the wind. Link got out his Gale boomerang. Using the Gale boomerang, he directed the wind so he and Zelda could stand on the platform. He did the same thing on the other one which was facing in a horizontal direction. They came to a ledge with two swinging axes in front of them. Link and Zelda waited for the axes to move away from them and they crossed the path and came to another ledge. To their left was a cave. Link and Zelda got in the cave and were at last in the Sacred Grove.

"So this is the Sacred Grove. It's not how I pictured it would be," said Zelda in awe. She was looking around the forest taking in the sight of the trees.

The Sacred Grove was actually a type of forest. There were trees everywhere so much like Faron Woods; the sun did not shine here. There was a passageway up ahead that led north. Link and Zelda went through. When they got there, they were faced with three more passageways that led north, east and west. Link who knew the passageway by now, led Zelda east. All of the Sacred Grove forest areas looked the same, trees and grass everywhere.

Link was surprised that the skull kid did not try and stop Link from proceeding. Even when he had taken the Master Sword back to its pedestal, the skull kid had held him up. Link supposed that the skull kid knew Link enough by now to knwo that Link met no harm. When Link and Zelda arrived in the next forest clearing, they were faced with two passageways east and west. Link led Zelda west and they once again they arrived once again in another forest clearing with a passageway up ahead. It was the only one however and Link and Zelda went through it. Once they went through it they no longer were in the forest. They came to a sort of old area. It looked as if it was ruins of an old building but it now resembled an area. The arena was oval shaped with ancient seats up above. The walls were a brownish color and were totally wrecked. There was a spinner track around the walls but that didn't go anywhere. Link and Zelda were elevated on a ledge overlooking the area. Down below there were platforms in the center of the arena. Link had battled the skull kid on these platforms on two different occasions. Link was thankful that the skull kid seemed to not be around right now.

Link jumped down to the arena floor. He motioned for Zelda to do the same. She jumped down and Link caught her and set her on her feet. Link then led her to a passageway to his left. They went through it and were at last in the actual Sacred Grove. They were standing upon the ruins of the ancient Temple of Time. There were building ruins on all sides of them. If the Temple of Time was still standing, they'd be in the first room. Link turned around and faced the stairs that took him to where the Master Sword was located. They walked past the two statues and got to the stairs. They walked up the stairs and entered the ruins of the room where the Master Sword was kept.

Link and Zelda got to the top of the stairs and there it was. The Master Sword was perched in its perch in the center of the room. The Master Sword was the only thing in the room. It was glowing as it stood there. Link walked over to it. He stared at it for a couple seconds thinking about it. This was the sword that had helped him concur Zant and Ganondorf and save the Twilight Realm. He had placed it back here in its Sacred Grove location because he didn't think he would need it again. Now he was back to take up arms with it again.

Link grabbed the hilt of the sword and pulled. The Master Sword came out of its holder and Link held it up in the air. The Master Sword felt perfect in his hand just as before, like it was crafted just for him.

"Well now that we have the Master Sword, I think it is time that we head back for Kakariko Village," said Zelda.

Link put the Master Sword in its scabbard along with his Ordon sword and walked out of the room with Zelda. They went back to the ruins of the Temple of Time and went back to the ancient arena. Link grabbed Zelda's waist and used his clawshot to get back to the ledge they started from. They traversed through the Sacred Woods and in no time were back at the entrance to the Sacred Woods. Link used his Gale Boomerang to change the direction of the bridges and they soon arrived to the other ledge.

"Hold on tight Zelda. We have to use the clawshot again," said Link.

Zelda grabbed on and they shot through the air. They did this once more and they were back by the Forest Temple. They went south and were back in Faron Woods. Link was surprised to see that the poisonous fog that had plagued Faron Woods was back. Link got out his lantern.

"Stay close to me. My lantern will get rid of the poisonous fog but only the poisonous fog around me," Link said. Zelda nodded and moved closer to him. Link took out his lantern and stepped close to the fog. The lantern dissipated the fog and Link and Zelda were able to step through. Link repeated this procedure until they were at the other side. Link kept his lantern out because he knew that he would need it for the pitch black tunnel. Link and Zelda went into said pitch black tunnel. All the enemies Link killed previously were gone so the journey was fairly short. They arrived at the other side by the gate to be greeted by Epona. Link and Zelda got on and they were off.

They went east when they hit the fork in the road and rode past Coro the lantern salesman's house. Coro looked up hoping that they needed more lantern oil but when they rushed by his stand, he put his head down, disappointed. Link and Zelda rode into Hyrule Field then went west. They came up to the valley that housed Kakariko Village and arrived in no time.

What Link saw made his jaw drop. Colin was being backed into a corner by three of the bandits that had attacked Ordon Village. Link also saw loads of bodies on the ground. Colin didn't have his sword while the three bandits each had clubs and were advancing slowly towards him. Link quickly took out his bow. He aimed at the bandits and shot three arrows. Each of the bandits was struck in the back by an arrow and fell to the ground, dead.

Link and Zelda got off of Epona and ran towards Colin. He had a bruised arm and a cut on his lip.

"Hey Link. Hey Zelda. Thanks for rescuing me," said Colin.

"What happened?" asked Zelda.

"The bandits came back. They said they were looking for the Triforce bearers. I think he meant you and Link. Then they attacked. I was the only one who was able to hold their own. My dad had gone out to go to Telma's bar to speak to the Resistance. Then they all ganged up on me. I was able to get rid of all of them except for those three that you saw. I wasn't able to deal with those three because I got hit in the head by a club and was a little disoriented. They also broke my sword," said Colin. Colin held up his sword. It was shattered into two pieces.

"That's not a problem Colin. You can have my sword," said Link. He pulled out the Ordon sword and held it out for Colin.

"Really? I can have your sword? But what'll you use?" asked Colin as he took Link's Ordon sword. Colin looked at it in awe as if it was sacred.

"I've got this sword," said Link as he took out the Master Sword and showed it to Colin. Colin's eyes went wide at the pure beauty of the Master Sword.

"Is everyone alright? Where are the villagers and Renado?" asked Zelda.

"The villagers are all safe in the hotel. A couple of them have injuries but it's nothing serious. Renado is back in his house," said Colin.

"We should talk to Renado. He may have some valuable information about why all this is going on," said Zelda. Link nodded and they went to Renado's house.

They went in and saw Renado sitting on the couch. When Renado saw them come in, he stood up.

"Ah there you are. I think I might have some information that would be of interest. Please sit down," said Renado. Link and Zelda smiled at each other because Zelda was right.

"I overheard one of the bandits talking. He was talking about 'taking the girl to Arbiter's Grounds.' That must be Ilia he was talking about. So she is probably at Arbiter's Grounds right now," said Renado.

"Excellent. We have our lead. I think we should head over to Arbiter's Grounds right now," said Zelda. Link nodded and they both left to go out the door.

"Good luck on your journey," said Renado.

Link and Zelda were outside of Kakariko Village. They walked over to Epona and were greeted with Epona licking Link's face. Just then Zelda stopped Link.

"Link, how are we going to get to Arbiter's Grounds? It's all the way in Gerudo Desert and there's no way to get there without flying," asked Zelda.

"Don't worry Zelda. We'll get there fine. I have a friend that can help us out," said Link.

Link and Zelda got on Epona and started to go back down to Hyrule Field. They rode out into the middle of Hyrule Field and went west. There they took the eastern path out of Hyrule Field. This path would lead them to Lake Hylia. They then came to a path that led them onto the side of a mountain. There was a fence on the side of the mountain that kept them from falling off. Link and Zelda followed this path until they came to a fork in the road. The left side led to a house. The right side led to a bridge that traveled across Lake Hylia. Link and Zelda got off of Epona and went inside the house. The house was two storied and was rather dull. The walls were brown and nothing was on them except for some splattered paint. There was a ladder that went to the first floor of the house. Link and Zelda went down the ladder and went to the corner of the house. There they saw a man with wild hair and had his face painted like a chicken.

"Ah! Mr. Link! And Princess Zelda too! How may I help you?" asked Falbi.

"Hello Mr. Falbi. We need two of your chickens to help us get down to the land besides Lake Hylia," said Link.

"Right away Mr. Link. I'll just get them for you," Falbi said and he went outside to his chicken farm.

"How do you know this man? He seems very strange," asked Zelda.

"He helped me out a couple of times during my journey with Midna. I needed to get down to Lake Hylia and he always helped me out," replied Link.

"I see… Since joining you I have done a lot of things in the past couple of days that I have never done before. I guess this is one more thing to add to the list," said Zelda.

"Don't worry. Once we get to the bank of Lake Hylia, you'll have another thing to add to that list," Link said smiling. Zelda looked questioningly at Link but Link just shook his head and looked away.

After a couple of minutes Falbi returned with two cuccos walking behind him. He took the cuccos to the corner that Link and Zelda were standing. He then led them outside to the platform next to his house.

"Ok just hang onto these cuccos tight and they'll take you down to the land right next to Lake Hylia," said Falbi.

"Thanks Mr. Falbi," said Link.

"Anything for you Mr. Link," said Falbi and he walked back inside his house.

"Are you sure these chickens will get us down safely?" Zelda asked. She was staring at her cucco with some doubt that it could carry her.

"Don't worry. They'll get the job done. I've done it plenty of times before. Trust me," said Link.

Zelda tentatively grabbed her chicken around the legs. The chicken started going wild. Zelda was taken aback at first but then calmed down.

"Ok after me," said Link. He then jumped down off of the platform and went plummeting for Lake Hylia. Zelda followed him and soon they were both falling fast towards the water in Lake Hylia. The cuccos however started flapping their winds and they slowed down the fall. The cuccos then flew towards the band of Lake Hylia. Within minutes Link and Zelda touched down on the ground safe and sound. They were now at Lake Hylia. The Lake was right next to them and there were mountains behind them. Link led Zelda to the edge of the lake where there was a bridge that they could walk on. Ahead there was a stand with a cannon in back of it. Zelda seemed to know what they were going to do and pulled on Link's arm.

"Oh no! I'm not going to be shot out of a cannon and fly through the air!" exclaimed Zelda. "This is going too far!"

"Zelda relax! It's not as bad as you think. Besides it's the only way to get to Gerudo Desert from here. Do you want to rescue Ilia or not?" asked Link.

"Of course I do! Oh… ok. I guess I'll do it if it's the only way," pouted Zelda.

"Zelda would I really have you do something that would be harmful to you? Do you know how many people would want my head if I injured the Princess of Hyrule?" asked Link. Zelda laughed.

"Ok I guess you're right. Let's go," said Zelda.

Link and Zelda walked over to the stand and were greeted by a short man.

"What can I do for you today?" asked Fyer the cannon man.

"I need a trip for two to the Gerudo Desert," replied Link.

"60 rupees," replied Fyer curtly. Link paid the man and Fyer got out of the way. Link and Zelda then got in the cannon and waited. It was cramped in the cannon. Fyer then walked to the side of his stand and started turning the handle to the cannon. The cannon roared to life and shot Link and Zelda through the air.

They arrived in Gerudo Desert.

**Next Chapter: Crossing the Gerudo Desert**


	4. Chapter 4: Crossing Gerudo Desert

**Author's Note: I'm releasing chapters 4 and 5 together as they are rather short and there's not a lot of action in them.**

Chapter 4: Crossing Gerudo Desert

Link and Zelda got up from the ground where they crash landed. Link quickly drew the Master Sword and had it at the ready.

"Be careful, there are lots of rat-like creatures that burrow in the ground and attack you by leaping at you with their fangs," said Link. Zelda quickly moved right next to Link and grabbed his arm.

They were in the Gerudo Desert. Nothing but sand to the left, right, ahead and behind them in all directions. The only thing that broke up this monotonous tan-brown image of the Gerudo Desert was a building with windmill-like towers far to the far northeast. This was where Arbiter's Grounds was. It would be quite a walk.

"Come on this way, and remember to keep close," said Link. Zelda nodded and followed him.

Link and Zelda walked very slowly to the northeast until they saw the image of Arbiter's Grounds directly in front of them. Link looked up at the sky and calculated that it would become night time before they got to Arbiter's Grounds. This troubled Link because the Bulbins that inhabited this area only came out at night and their base was usually swarming with them. But Link would deal with that problem when they came to it. Right now they had to get there as quickly as possible.

The Bulbins' sudden change in action had puzzled Link at first. Link had supposed that the Bulbin's change in attitude was due to the species just evolving but he had heard rumors that it was because they didn't want to deal with him anymore. Link actually felt kind of proud when he had heard these rumors. He was actually responsible for the changing of an entire species' instincts.

Suddenly a rat-like creature leaped out of the ground and flew at Link and Zelda. Link reacted quickly and struck the creature with his sword and killed it. Immediately all the other burrowing creatures turned around and burrowed as far away from Link as possible. Link and Zelda then began to proceed further.

Soon Link and Zelda came upon the place where the look out Bulbins resided. There were two towers that loomed over everything with ladders on them. Two Bulbins normally stood guard there and fired at anything that came near them with arrows but as it wasn't night yet, there were no Bulbins to be seen. Link then noticed that they were pretty close to Arbiter's Grounds and it was just beginning to get dark. If they hurried, they might make it.

"If we hurry we might get there before we have to deal with any Bulbins that will be patrolling the hideout. I'm going to take out my spinner and I want you to grab onto me while we go," said Link. Zelda nodded.

Link noticed that all the land now was downhill so they should have no problem getting there quickly with the spinner. Why he had not thought of the spinner earlier, he had no idea. Link took it out and got on. Zelda followed suit and grabbed Link's waist tightly and held on. They were soon off like lightning. The spinner ran pretty smooth in the desert sand. Within seconds they were at the ledge that led to the entrance to the Bulbin hideout. Link jumped with the spinner and landed directly in front of the Bulbin entrance. Link slowed the spinner down and had it come to a stop. Link and Zelda jumped off. Link looked at the sky. Twilight was just starting to come. They had little time. Link grabbed Zelda by the hand and led her through the hideout. The hideout was like a maze that was designed to fool the Bulbin's enemies into getting lost. However Link had traversed these areas before and knew where to go. Pretty soon they were at the entrance to Arbiter's Grounds and had encountered no trouble along the way.

**Next Chapter: Arbiter's Grounds Revisited**


	5. Chapter 5: Arbiter's Grounds Revisited

Chapter 5: Arbiter's Grounds Revisited

They had arrived at the entrance to Arbiter's Grounds. The entrance was a tunnel with a Triforce symbol on top of it with markings that looked like feathers around it. Link led Zelda inside.

When they arrived inside, they were faced with a small tunnel. Link and Zelda traveled along this tunnel and came to a room. This room was rather large and had pale whitish walls. There was no floor as there was tons of quicksand everywhere. On the other side of the room, the same Triforce mark with feathers around it was perched high up on the wall above the stairs at the end. Link remembered this quicksand. He made sure not to fall in there the last time he was here. Link could see those same rat-like creatures burring in the sand. Link looked to his right and looked for the clawshot target that he knew was over there. Link took out his clawshot and took aim. Zelda saw him do this and grabbed onto is back again. They flew through the air and came down on a platform. Straight ahead there were a couple more platforms floating in the sand. Link led Zelda across them and they then came to a stairwell. They climbed up the stairwell and came to a door. They went inside and were faced with a pitch-black room. Link took out his lantern and the room was eliminated. Link heard the sound of bones creaking and knew what was coming.

About two dozen skeleton soldiers had risen from the ground. Zelda shrieked and went behind Link and grabbed his back. Link pulled out his bow and attached some bombs to his arrows. He took a shot at the skeletons. The first blow wiped out a third of them. Link reloaded his bow and shot another bomb arrow. This blow wiped out another third of them. Another blow wiped the last of the skeletons out. Link put his bow away.

"Zelda, you're still shaking," said Link.

"I've never been attacked by skeletons before," said Zelda trying to calm herself down.

"Well you'd better get used to it. Those aren't the only skeletons that are going to attack us," smiled Link. Zelda looked disappointed. Link led Zelda across the sand in this room and they came to a door. Link opened the door and the two of them arrived in another room. This room was five times as big as the previous room. The room was dimly lit, the only light coming from four torches in the center of the room with blue fire burning there. There were doors on each side of the room, but Link knew that he and Zelda would accomplish nothing going through those doors. Those doors led to more rooms and puzzles. They needed to go straight.

Link was about to lead Zelda towards the stairs when he saw that there was a redead there. The redead was a skeleton that was mummified and had ripped clothing all over it. It's had no eyes just holes that were sunken in its head. It's mouth had no teeth and was like a gaping hole. The redead slowly started to advance towards Link with its arms spread out in front of it. Zelda screamed again. Link held his ground however and drew his sword. Zelda backed away from Link and the redead as they prepared to do battle. Link saw that the redead was carrying a huge axe. Link jabbed at the redead and it fell backwards. It regained its composure though and let out a ear-splitting howl. Link was frozen. He couldn't move. The redead lifted its axe and began lifting its axe over its head. Link recovered and could move again and dove to the left just as the redead brought the axe down. Link then took this chance and drove his sword into the redead and it let out a cry of pain. Link then slashed at the redead and cut its head off. The redead fell to the floor and was motionless. Link put his sword away as it was now dead.

Zelda came running towards Link. She wanted to be as close to Link as possible in case more dead things came running towards them. Link led Zelda up the stairs and they came to yet another door. This door led to a room with three passageways, one the east, west and one in the center. The ones to the east and west were blocked as Link had used his spinner to move the wall and block the other two so he could go to the center one the last time he was here. The center one was the one they needed to go through. Link groaned as he saw that there were two skeleton warriors with shields.

Link gestured for Zelda to stay here. He advanced towards the two shadow warriors. They saw him and started advancing forward. Link jumped in the air and brought his sword crashing down on the first ones head. This brought all of his bones to rubble. Link jumped away and threw a bomb at the remaining bones. The bomb exploded and the bones of the first skeleton, along with the second skeleton were both gone. Zelda came running towards Link and Link led her towards the center room. This room was circular with a huge pillar in the middle of the room. Circling around the pillar was a track that he could ride his spinner on. Link took out his spinner and beckoned for Zelda to get on. The two of them rode through the sand and connected to the rail. They went spiraling up the path and went circling around. They circled around quite a few times until the rail ended and they flew through the air and landed on a platform. This platform had railings on either side of it and led to an enormous door. Link opened the door and had Zelda follow him inside. They came to a circular room with a gigantic pillar in the center of the room. The pillar was the only thing in the room. This was where Link had battled Stallord the last time he was here. There was no way to get to the platform by jumping so Link pulled out his spinner again. Zelda got on and held on tight. Link jumped off the platform with Zelda screaming behind him. They landed on the pillar in one of the rails that the spinner fit in. This rail took them all the way to the top of the pillar. Once they were at the top, they crossed the platform that led them to the mirror chamber.

**Next Chapter: Ganondorf Reborn**


	6. Chapter 6: Ganondorf Reborn

**Author's Note: I wasn't sure if Gerudo is capitalized so if it isnt supposed to be, I'm sorry. Anyway, thanks for waiting! Here is chapter 6.**

Chapter 6: Ganondorf Reborn

Link and Zelda traveled along the path and within minutes arrived at the entrance to the Mirror Chamber. They climbed the stairs and went through the doorway that led to the chamber. When they got there they were met with a circular coliseum set with a gigantic stone tablet in the center. The colisseum was surrounded by about a dozen windmill like towers with blades that spun around. Inside this Mirror Chamber, Link and Zelda were greeted with a very strange scene. Tied to the center of the tablet with his arms and legs spread out was the corpse of a man. The man had gray skin and red hair. He appeared to be wearing armor of some kind. It was now night time so from a distance, Link couldn't make out the exact features but he had a strange feeling that he had seen this man before. He could sense that Zelda was at unease just as he was.

Suddenly Link was grabbed from behind and soon he was unable to move his arms and legs and had a hand over his mouth. He heard Zelda scream and knew that the same fate had befallen her. Link and Zelda were tied up and taken over to the stone tablet in the center of the chamber and laid on the ground in front of the tablet.

"Welcome," said a voice. Link and Zelda turned around and saw a group of bandits with a very tall bandit standing in front of them. He appeared to be their leader. One of the bandits came into view and was seen holding Ilia. She too was tied up and had a scarf around her mouth. Link tried to squirm and get out of his bindings but it was futile.

"I thank you for joining us tonight. We couldn't have this little party without you," said the bandit who appeared to be their leader. He was a head taller than Link. He had greyish skin and flaming red hair. He was wearing a necklace around his neck that seemed to be made of of beeds. He was very muscular and had a sword tucked away in a scabbard across his back. He had big red eyes and was staring at Link. "My name is Gorker. I am the leader of the bandit tribe that resides here in Gerudo Desert."

"What do you want with us?" asked Zelda.

"Don't worry Zelda. We won't inflict any harm upon you and your little buddy here. All we require is that you stay right there," sneered Gorker. "The one who will be doing the harm to you is tied to the stone tablet behind you."

Link turned around and gasped out loud. The corpse he had seen earlier was the corpse of none other than Ganondorf. Link recognized the armor and the red hair now. Link was very confused. Hadn't they buried him in Hyrule Field?

"What's going on?" asked Link.

"It shouldn't be that hard for you to understand. We are trying to revive Ganondorf and make him our leader," said Gorker.

"But how did you know who Ganondorf is? And how did you come across his body?" asked Zelda.

"That is a very important question you ask. And it deserves a great answer. But before I do answer that question, it is necessary to start at the very beginning," began Gorker.

"Our tribe is the last remaining descendants of the ancient Gerudo tribe that resided in this desert for hundreds of years. The Gerudo were a tribe of women with a man being born every one thousand years. However, the Gerudo soon wanted many men in the tribe and started mating with humans to produce more males. And thus, our ancestors were born. They built a village and formed a tribe and lived in the village peacefully. The tribe lived peacefully for hundreds of years. However, recently the tribe was almost forced into extinction by the new dominating tribe the Bulbins. The Bulbins stole their food and took their land. We are the only ones left of that ancient and proud people.

"Because of the Bulbins, we were forced to scatter to the very edge of the Gerudo Desert to the southeast. The living conditions there were terrible. There were fierce winds, droughts all the time and living creatures attacking us from every angles. We were forced to struggle for our very being every day of our existence. We were forced to head into Hyrule and pillage for food.

"It was during one of these pillages that we made a startling discovery. One of our horses tripped while we were riding in Hyrule Field. When we went to investigate, we found a body that had been dug into the ground. It was the body of a Gerudo. We sensed that this body had a great power that resided in him so we took him back to Gerudo Desert to examine it. We were startled upon closer inspection, to find that the body was none other than the great Gerudo thief Ganondorf.

"We had heard stories of Ganondorf growing up. He was a Gerudo who had tried to obtain power and conquer Hyrule. He failed however and was arrested and was set to be executed. These stories were never finished because no one knew what had happened to him. These stories were told to keep us Gerudo kids from being like Ganondorf and keep out of trouble. However, these stories did exactly the opposite for us. They made us want to follow in Ganondorf's footsteps and try and take over Hyrule. However, we knew that we would never accomplish the feat ourselves so we never actually carried out our plans.

"That changed when we found Ganondorf's body. We knew that he was dead but we had hope that we would be able to revive him. We had heard stories during our countless pillages of Hyrule and had heard the remaining details of Ganondorf's execution. He should have died, but he was saved by a divine prank. We needed more details so we decided to break into the Hyrule National Library. We figured that they would probably have details on Ganondorf's execution. We didn't find any details of Ganondorf's execution, but what we did find was ten times more valuable. What we found was a book about something called the Triforce.

"This book," said Gorker as he took out the very book. "Contained everything we needed to know about the Triforce, what it was, how it worked and how it got here. It also explained that the Triforce had been split into three pieces and that a specific person held each piece. We learned that the Triforce of Power was able to grant god-like strength and power to the person who wielded it. We deduced that this was what had saved Ganondorf during the execution.

"This wasn't very important to us until we got to a chapter that explained that there is a way to revive a dead Triforce member by saying an incantation while the other two are in the vicinity of the third.

"So now we had to find the other two Triforce bearers. After some thought, we assumed that Princess Zelda was in possession of the Triforce of Wisdom. That was obvious. The matter of who had the Triforce of Courage was much more mystifying however. We decided to capture Zelda first and deal with that matter later. I sent two bandits to the Hyrule Inn to capture Princess Zelda. They failed however. I was not surprised by this information because I figured the security around Princess Zelda was very tight, I just didn't know how tight.

"But then I heard that Princess Zelda's location was moved. This infuriated me so I had the whole tribe split up and search different parts of Hyrule for her. Our search brought us to the quiet town of Ordon. The bandits that were there were defeated by a swordsman in green. This boy was the only one who had stood up to our tribe in all of Hyrule so we assumed that he was the bearer of the Triforce of Courage. This delighted me because both Triforce bearers were in the same location.

"However, it soon became apparent that we would not be able to defeat you head one with brute strength. So I formed a plan. I would have my men capture your little girlfriend here and take her to this Mirror Chamber. You two would then show up and we would be able to start the revival. This was our plan and I have to say that it worked very well."

Gorker finished his speech with a very proud and smug look on his face. There was a gleam of power in his eyes.

"But what drew you towards the darkness in the first place?" asked Zelda.

"Easy. We wanted to improve our living conditions with the power that we would achieve. We were so desperate for power that we were corrupted into believing that prosperity could be achieved. But enough of these reminisces, let us begin the ceremony," said Gorker.

Gorker took out the book and opened to the page which contained the incantation.

"Oh mighty goddesses, creators of everything that has ever existed. We call upon you to help us revive he who was marked with the sacred mark of the Triforce. We have gathered the other two and are ready to make two three once more," chanted Gorker.

Suddenly a silver mist began to engulf the entire chamber. The mist got darker and thicker and soon it was impossible to see anything. Then suddenly the wind picked up and blew fiercely for a few seconds and went quiet again. Within seconds an explosion of blinding red light filled the sky. The mist was cleared and the light faded and it was possible to see again. However what Link saw however filled him with dread.

Ganondorf had been revived.

Ganondorf opened his eyes and looked around. He smiled and laughed. Suddenly he gave a huge tug and the chains he had been in were ripped apart and he was no longer bound to the tablet. He drew his sword. It was a huge sword, the same sword that had been used in his execution all those years ago. It glowed a bright light in the darkness of night allowing a wider range of sight. Gorker came walking towards Ganondorf in awe. Gorker knelt down before him.

"Welcome back Ganondorf. It is nice to finally see you up and about. I am Gorker and these are my servants," said Gorker. "We offer our services to you to become your servants in whatever you shall do. We are yours to command and will stick by you through thick and thin," said Gorker.

Ganondorf said nothing but merely looked at Gorker. He suddenly slashed his sword and Gorker had his head cut off his shoulders and was dead. The remaining bandits ran away and left the Mirror Chamber, fearing their lives.

"I have no need for servants. The only thing servants do is screw up. Zant… Zant… I curse and spit at that name. What a fool he was. He did not deserve the power I gave him," said Ganondorf.

Ganondorf then laid eyes on Link for the first time.

"You! I remember you! You are Midna's little friend that defied me in Hyrule Castle. You got the better of me before but that shall not happen again. I wish to deal my revenge. Come! I want this to be memorable for me," said Ganondorf. He snapped his fingers and the bindings on Link and Zelda disappeared.

Link drew his sword and walked slowly towards Ganondorf. The two prepared their swords for their first attack.

"This is where dark shall finally concur light," said Ganondorf as he gripped the sword tightly in his right hand.

"Not if I can help it," replied Link.

Ganondorf gripped his sword tighter and then lunged at Link and slashed at Link. The attack had come so fast Link barely managed to put his shield up and block the strike. Link then moved towards Ganondorf and began a series of jabs. Ganondorf blocked every one and then countered with a slash that Link blocked with his sword. Ganondorf then kicked out with his foot and knocked Link backwards onto the ground. Zelda screamed. Ganondorf then brought the sword down towards the ground with two hands with great force. Link just barely rolled out of the way. Link got to his feet and swung his sword. Ganondorf dodged it by lowering his head and jabbed at Link. Link met Ganondorf's sword with his. The two began slashing back and forth at each other, each of them dodging the other's blows. Link then got a surprise blow in on Ganondorf knocking him backwards. Link took this opportunity to get him. Link lunged at Ganondorf with his sword. Ganondorf stopped him with his sword. Link had prepared for this and rolled in back of him and then jumped in the air. Ganondorf had no idea where he was when he came down. As soon as Link landed, Ganondorf looked around and saw him behind him. But it was too late; Link had already driven the Master Sword through Ganondorf's chest.

Ganondorf stood there in agony, literally rolled over with pain but he did not fall. After a few seconds Ganondorf looked around and saw that he was not bleeding and he was not dead. He began to laugh.

"Hahahahahahahahahahaha! It's a miracle! This Master Sword has failed to kill me!" exclaimed Ganondorf in surprise.

Link stood there stunned. The Master Sword was supposed to be the sword with the power to repel evil. How come he had thrust it into Ganondorf's chest but he still lives?

Ganondorf was still laughing. He pulled the Master Sword out of his chest and held it out in front of him for a few seconds. He then threw it behind him. It landed in the sand behind him. He then advanced towards Link who was on the ground.

"You are now defenseless. The time is now for me to finally be rid of you forever," said Ganondorf triumphantly.

Ganondorf drew his sword above his head with two hands and made to draw it through Link's stomach. Link closed his eyes and braced himself for the blow but it never came. Link heard Ganondorf scream and then silence. He opened his eyes and received a shock. He, Zelda and Ilia were now in the Sacred Grove and Ganondorf was no where to be found.

**Next Chapter: The Breaker Sword**


	7. Chapter 7: The Breaker Sword

**Author's Note: I had to change a lot of this chapter because I found a lot of it was poorly explained and some things didn't make sense. Here is chapter 7 after many revisions.**

Chapter 7: The Breaker Sword

Link, Zelda and Ilia were all standing in the section of the Sacred Grove where Link pulled out the Master Sword. Everyone was unhurt. The Master Sword had also been transported here as well. Link walked over to it and put it back in his scabbard. Link was very confused. How did they get here? And where did Ganondorf go?

"Where are we?" asked Ilia.

"We are in the Sacred Grove, a sacred place that houses the Master Sword. Very few people have ever been to this place before," answered Zelda.

"I feel honored," said Ilia.

"Link, why are we here? How did we get here? How could we just be teleported from the Mirror Chamber to here?" asked Zelda.

"Your guess is as good as mine. I have absolutely no idea," replied Link.

"We can answer that," said a familiar voice.

Link, Zelda, and Ilia turned around. There all around the grove were the five sages that had appeared in the Mirror Chamber when Link and Midna had been on their adventure. They looked the same as they did before with their ghostish appearances and their mysterious faces that were not connected to their heads but floated in front of their heads. Each of them had a strange symbol on their chest. Link looked and saw what looked like resembled a forest, fire, water, shadow and spirit.

"You were behind this?" asked Zelda.

"Yes," answered one of the sages. "If we had not intervined, Link would be dead and Ganondorf may have already dispatched of Ilia and yourself."

"What happened to Ganondorf?" asked Link.

"We transported him to the Twilight Realm as we had done during his execution. Now that the Mirror of Twilight has been destroyed we thought that it would be the safest place to ensure that Ganondorf not come back," said another sage.

"But if he comes back, we're going to be defenseless because the Master Sword is useless against Ganondorf now," said Link. "Would you guys happen to know why?"

"Yes. The incatation that revived Ganondorf has a side effect. In addition to the Triforce bearer being revived, the Triforce bearer is immune to dying the same way he or she died before except in the case of old age. In this case, Ganondorf died by way of the Master Sword so now the Master Sword cannot kill him. Ganondorf's body now recognizes the energy the Master Sword produces when it destroys evil and will fight to repel it. Without this evil repelling energy, the Master Sword is the same as a regular sword against Ganondorf. And with the Triforce of Power, Ganondorf cannot be killed by a regular blade so the Master Sword is useless," replied one of the sages.

"So now he's immune to the Master Sword? So how are we supposed to stop him?" asked Link confundedly.

"Fear not. There is another blade that can help you slay Ganondorf," replied a sage. "It is an ancient blade that has been hidden in Hyrule for centuries. It is called the Breaker Sword. Only the King of Hyrule of his time knew about it and it was his duty to keep the secret hidden. However word got out and people began to search for it, but with no success. People began pestering the king about its whereabouts. He would never say anything however. When he died, the searching stopped as people resided that it was just a myth.

"Ganondorf however did not stop searching for it. He continued to search for it until he was arrested and sent to trail. When he escaped however and returned to Hyrule, he found the hidden chamber in Hyrule Castle and stole the Breaker Sword.

"He then shattered it into three pieces and hid them throughout Hyrule. It is only recently that we have discovered the location of these pieces. One is in a forest, one is underwater and one is underground," said one of the sages.

"So all we have to do is find the three Breaker Sword pieces and we will be able to defeat Ganondorf?" asked Zelda.

"Alas, it is not that easy. The Breaker Sword itself is not powerful enough to defeat Ganondorf. It does not posses the evil-repelling energy that the Master Sword possesses. It produces its own different kind of energy. It was not designed to take on someone with as much power as Ganondorf does with the Triforce of Power in his possession.

"There is a way to assure your victory however. There is a way to fuse the power of the Breaker Sword and Master Sword together. The fusion would result in a weapon with the power to destroy Ganondorf. During the fusion, the Breaker Sword's energy would be transferred to the Master Sword. This would change the Master Sword's evil-repelling energy to an energy that would not be recognized by Ganondorf's body. After the fusion is over, the Master Sword will be able to slay Ganondorf again. It is up to you and Zelda to find the three pieces. I bid you well on your quest," said a sage and then they all disappeared.

"Well you heard them Link, our next objective is to find the Breaker Sword and combine it with the Master Sword," said Zelda. Link nodded his head in agreement.

"Wait a second, what is going on? I am very confused," said Ilia.

"It is a very, very long story. Why don't we wait until we get out of this place? We can explain while we are going back to Kakariko Village ," said Link.

"Ok," replied Ilia.

Link, Zelda and Ilia walked out towards the ruins of the Temple of Time and turned left at the coliseum ruins.

"Zelda! Ilia!. Grab hold of me so I can transport you two with my clawshot," said Link. Zelda and Ilia nodded and grabbed onto Link's waist.

They then flew through the air and arrived at the ledge that led to the Sacred Woods just outside the globes. The three of them traversed the woods and were soon back at the entrance. They then used the clawshot to get to the platforms that led to Faron Woods. Before long they were in Faron Woods. Link saw to his great delight that the poisonous fog that normally plagued the woods was gone. That means that they were able to go through the woods without much difficulty.

Link, Zelda and Ilia arrived in the pitch black tunnel that leads to the path to Hyrule Field. Link took out his lantern and lit the way. It was an uneventful trip through the tunnel and they arrived at the other end within minutes. They arrived to the fork in the road and took the east path. They didn't have Epona with them so they had to walk to Kakariko Village . The sun was just beginning to rise so Link figured that they would arrive at Kakariko Village by midday. They walked past Coro the Lantern Salesman's house. Coro wasn't out right now. Link was grateful because he really didn't want to be bothered by him to buy lantern oil.

They arrived in Hyrule Field.

"So tell me, what exactly has been going on since I was captured? This stuff makes no sense," said Ilia as they walked along.

"Well it all starts with the Triforce. The Triforce is a triangle-like source of power that was created by the goddesses that founded Hyrule. It has the power to grant a wish to someone who touches it. But if a person who is impure of heart touches it, then the Triforce splits into three pieces. The person who touched the Triforce gets the piece that best suites him. The other two pieces then go to the two people who are worthy and best demonstrate the characteristic of each piece. This is what Gorker was talking about. Ganondorf received the Triforce of Power. Zelda and I got the other two pieces. Zelda got the Triforce of Wisdom and I got the Triforce of Courage. Because of my Triforce piece, when Zant turned the world into twilight, I wasn't changed into a spirit like everyone else. I was just a wolf. I was then able to stop Zant and Ganondorf. Now Ganondorf has been revived thanks to mine and Zelda's Triforce pieces," explained Link.

"And now because of his piece, he is immune to the Master Sword for now," added Zelda.

"Oh I get it. So you two are chosen by the gods to wield your Triforce pieces?" asked Ilia.

"Exactly," said Link.

The two had been talking the whole way through Hyrule Field and now they were at the entrance to Kakariko Village . They arrived and saw Colin and Beth talking to each other. When they saw them, they both ran over to them.

"Ilia are you ok?" asked Beth and Colin at the same time.

"Yes I'm fine. I was saved by Link and Zelda here," answered Ilia.

"Good that's a relief. Bo was worried about you," said Beth.

"Well now you guys are back and we can relax right?" asked Colin.

"I'm afraid not Colin. Zelda and I have a quest we have to do. We won't be back for awhile," said Link.

"Can I come too?" asked Colin his face full of hope.

"I'm sorry Colin but it wouldn't make any sense if you came with us. With your swordsman skills increasing like crazy everyday you should stay here and protect the village," said Link.

"Ok I guess that makes sense," said Colin dejected.

**Next Chapter: Finding Locations**


	8. Chapter 8: Finding Locations

**Author's Note: Sorry I took so long to update this. I've been busy and was sick for awhile. Here's chapter 8.**

Chapter 8: Finding Locations

Colin, Ilia and Beth walked away. Zelda waited until they were gone then turned to Link.

"We need to find the Breaker Sword pieces. The sooner we can arm ourselves against Ganondorf the better," she said.

"I agree but where do we start to look for them? They could be anywhere in Hyrule," said Link.

"Well let's think. The sages said that the pieces were in a forest, underwater and underground. Do any of those descriptions ring any bells?" asked Zelda.

"Well 'underwater' could mean the Lakebed Temple I visited before. 'In a forest' could also be referring to the Forest Temple near Faron Woods. But I've been in every inch of those temples and I didn't find any sword pieces.

"Well then I guess that they are in different locations," replied Zelda.

"Wait I have an idea, why don't we go visit Telma's Bar? She and her buddies might have some information that could help us," suggested Link.

"I suppose it's worth a try. We haven't got any other leads so far," answered Zelda. Link was glad that Zelda had accepted this offer. Link was just thinking that it was too bad that Epona wasn't here to make their ride easier but was surprised to see her standing next to Barnes Bomb Shop. She seemed to have found her way back to Kakariko Village. Link led Zelda over there and the two of them got on Epona. They then departed towards Castle Town. They exited through the north end of Kakariko Village and were soon out in Hyrule Field again. It was still daylight so the Bulblins that usually roam these lands weren't out yet.

They soon arrived at the western entrance to Castle Town. This entrance would take them to where the doctor's office was. Link and Zelda went inside and stopped where the stairs begun. Link helped Zelda off Epona and the two walked into the town. When they walked in, they were met with a similar scene to when Link walked in here the first time. There were people running around everywhere and everyone looked busy.

Link led Zelda to the Castle Town square and went south. They walked down the street and went to the right. They came to an enclosed alley with stairs that led down to a bar on the right hand side.

Link and Zelda went inside. The bar had brick walls and was dimly lit. The room was split into two halves with a path leading to the back part of the room. In the back part of the room there was a fire place and a table with two men and a woman sat there. The bar was at the left hand side. Link and Zelda walked up.

"Ah hello Link, it's nice to see you again. Always a pleasure to see you too Princess Zelda," smiled Telma. Telma was a tan plump woman with red hair that was tied up in a bun. She had an interesting personality as she always said what was on her mind. She was the leader of the risistence that included Ashei, Shad, Auru and Colin's dad Rustl. Rustl wasn't here right now so Link assumed that he was with Colin protecting Kakariko Village.

"Thank you Telma," said Zelda.

"So, what brings you two here?" asked Telma.

"Well we were hoping to get some help from your team," said Link.

"Ah well they're over there. I'm sure they'll be glad to help you," said Telma as she pointed to the table in the back of the bar.

Link and Zelda walked over. The two men and woman stopped their conversation and looked up.

"Hello Link," said Shad. Shad was a short man that wore clothes as though he was a scholar. He had fancy gray stocking pants and a black shirt with a huge white collar. He had small round glasses that covered his face and was balding a little bit. He was an expert on all things history however and had helped out Link many times with his knowledge about Hyrule's past.

"Hey Shad. I was wondering if I could ask you guys something?" asked Link.

"Sure," answered Shad.

"Well, Zelda and I are on a mission. We have to find three pieces of a sword. They are in a forest, underwater and underground. Do you have any ideas of places where they could be that match these descriptions?" asked Link.

"No… Not that I can think of. But don't worry Link. We will set out and find these locations for you," responded Shad. Suddenly he, Ashei and Auru got up out of their seats and walked out the door.

"Well that was fast," commented Link. "What are we supposed to do until they get back?"

"How about we check on the progress of the construction of Hyrule Castle?" asked Zelda.

"That sounds good. Let's go," replied Link. The two of them crossed to the door and went out. They were back in the alley and went up the stairs into the streets of Hyrule town. They went back into Castle Town square and headed north this time. They went up the many stairs that led to where Hyrule Castle used to be. They then arrived at the construction site for the new Hyrule Castle that was being built. There had to be at least three hundred men working on the project as they were carrying stone, hammers and nails. The building crew was coming along very nicely. Hyrule Castle had been destroyed during the battle against Ganondorf those eight months ago. The crew had finished the structure of Hyrule Castle but was far from from being finished.

"It looks like it's really coming along," said Zelda.

"Yeah they're farther along than I thought they'd be," replied Link.

"Yeah we're ahead of schedule," said one of the workers coming up to them. He shook Link's hand. He was taller than both Link and Zelda by a head and was a little on the round side. He was wearing a no-sleeve shirt and was sweating profusely. He had a mustache that took up almost the entire bottom hand of his face making his mouth invisible and was bald.

"How long do you think until you'll be done with it?" asked Link.

"Well we've finished the structure part of it but we still have to add all the walls and rooms. I reckon it'll be another two years before the castle is done," said the worker.

"That sounds pretty reasonable," commented Zelda.

The worker went back to working and Link and Zelda walked around the sight. As far as Link could see, the new Hyrule Castle would look exactly the same as the old one. They quickly got tired of this and went back into Castle Town square. Suddenly they saw Telma running at them from the street.

"Link! Princess Zelda! I have news for you!" she screamed.

"What is it?" asked Zelda.

"Ashei sent a letter. She said that she's found a temple in the middle of a forest by some Hidden Village. She thinks that this could be one of the locations you need. Do you know where this place is?" Telma asked.

"Yes. I should be able to get there by myself," said Link.

"Good. Ashei said that she was waiting outside of the Hidden Village for you," said Telma. "Good luck." She then walked off.

"Well you heard her. We need to get to the Hidden Village," said Link. Zelda nodded and the two walked to the western entrance into Castle Town where Epona was located. They got on Epona and were off again. They entered Hyrule Field. This part of Hyrule Field was a little smaller than the part that Link had been traveling in before. This part didn't have any trees. The shape of the whole piece of land was basically a big oval. Link and Zelda traveled to the northeast tip of north Hyrule Field which led to the Bridge of Eldin.

When Link and Zelda came up to the Bridge of Eldin, they slowed down a little bit. The bridge was old and gray and made of bricks. There was nothing on the sides of the bridge to prevent you from falling down below into the abyss. Nobody knew what was down there and anybody who did would never be heard from again. So it was best that they go slowly.

They soon got past the bridge and entered the northern part of Hyrule. This area was a lot rockier with hills on both sides of the path. There were lots of stone everywhere and no trees. Link and Zelda rode along the path with mountains and hills on either side. They crossed a little bridge and came to a kind of cave on the right hand side. Link made Epona stop and the two of them got off. Link told Epona to stay and Link and Zelda went into the cave. The cave was fairly short and within minutes they came to the Hidden Village.

The Hidden Village was an old village. There was a street with buildings on either side of them. The buildings were fairly small, only about two stories. The entire village was surrounded by woods. Link supposed that this is where the temple was.

Link and Zelda walked towards the middle of the village and spotted Ashei walking towards them. Ashei was about the same height as Princess Zelda. Ashei wore a kind of armor around herself. It was yellow with a gray trim around it. She had long black hair that she kept in pigtails. The pigtails went down to her shoulder blades. She had big black eyes that were very entrancing and gave her a look like a racoon.

"Hello Link. Hello Princess Zelda. I assume Telma told you that I was here?" greeted Ashei.

"Yes. She said that you had found something in the forest that could help us," said Zelda.

"Yes. Follow me," said Ashei. She then led Link and Zelda to the northern part of the Hidden Village.

"Do you know the history of this place?" asked Ashei suddenly without looking back.

"No. Not really. I know it is old though," responded Link.

"This place used to be Kakariko Village hundreds of years ago. A proud race called the Sheikah used to live here. The village wasn't open to the public at first but then after a while the Sheikah changed their mind and let the public stay here," explained Ashei.

"Wait so this village is also Kakariko Village? What about the one that's currently standing by Death Mountain?" asked Link, confused.

"About ten years ago, a tribe of Bulblins attacked the village. All of the villagers that survived the attack moved out of this place. They migrated to the area which now houses Kakariko Village. They built their own village and named it Kakariko Village, the same as before. Ever since then, this village has been neglected and has gone into ruin. The last living resident of this village died about three months ago from old age," explained Ashei.

Link was saddened by this news. He remembered the woman who had helped him restore Ilia's memories. Why hadn't he heard of this news?

"The temple I'm taking you to was hidden from the public once the old Kakariko Village was opened to the commoners. It was a very secret place, the temple is full of puzzles and rooms. No one knows what the temple was used for but it was something the Sheikah wanted to keep secret," explained Ashei

They then started walking and headed towards the entrance of the woods that surrounded the village. When they entered the woods, they found that they were very thick, almost as thick as the woods in Faron Woods. As they walked through the woods, Link saw that there were gravestones lying on the ground. There were trees everywhere and lots of thick bushes. The sun barely got through the thick woods.

"Why are there gravestones all over the ground of this forest?" asked Link.

"This used to be a graveyard. However once the village went into ruin, a forest started to grow and covered the graveyard," explained Ashei. In the distance, Link could see a huge temple. Link, Zelda and Ashei approached the temple and within a few minutes were right in front of it. The temple was at least ten stories high and about fifty feet wide. The walls were a greenish color and had vines growing all over them. Link supposed that this was because of the wildness of the forest. Link was also amazed that this humongous temple was able to have been kept hidden from the common people.

"Well here's the temple I was talking about. Good luck," said Ashei and she walked off.

Link and Zelda were left in front of the temple.

"Shall we go in? asked Link. Zelda nodded and the two of them opened the doors and went inside.

**Next Chapter: The Hidden Temple**


	9. Chapter 9: The Hidden Temple

Chapter 9: The Hidden Temple

Link and Zelda arrived inside the Hidden Temple. Link and Zelda came into a huge circular room. The walls were a greenish color with vines all over them. Link was astonished with how many vines there were. Obviously this building has taken a pounding over the past decade. There were doors on the right, left and center side of them. However the doors on the left and right hand side were covered with thick vines. Link took out his sword and walked over to the door on the left hand side. He slashed at the vines but his sword didn't have any effect.

"These are some strong vines," commented Link as he put his sword back in its scabbard.

"Well these vines have been here for the past ten or so years. They're going to be really hard," said Zelda.

"Well I guess we have no choice but to take the middle door," said Link. Zelda nodded and the two of them headed towards the middle door. They opened it and went inside and arrived in another huge room. The room had the same greenish walls and floor and there were vines everywhere. There were two platforms, one on the right hand side and one on the left hand side. They were elevated high above the ground. Link couldn't see what was on them but he would find out. In the middle of the floor there were four torches all lit with fire. In the back of the room there were two doors. One door was locked with a key latch onto it and the other one had iron bars over it. Link had faced these doors before. He would either need to hit a certain switch or solve a puzzle.

Link started to look around the room. There was a switch in the middle of the room with the torches all forming a rectangular box around it. Link walked over and stood on it. The iron bars over the door went down. Pleased with himself and thinking that this was easy, Link got off of the switch. As soon as he got off of the switch, the iron bars went back up. Link got frustrated; this was one of those switches that had to stay down to be effective. Link's first idea was to have Zelda stand on the switch for him but that idea was ridiculous. Zelda would have to stay on the switch the whole time Link is in the room and Link might need Zelda so Link had to think of another way to hold the switch down. Link began scanning the room for something that he could pick up.

His eyes immediately fell on a large box in the corner of the room to the right hand side of the door that Link and Zelda had come in earlier. The box was black with a Triforce mark on its side. Link went over to it and tried to pick it up. It was metal and very heavy. Link struggled to lift it up but he couldn't manage it with its weight. Link then tried to push it but the heavy weight made Link not able to push it very far.

Extremely frustrated now, Link walked back into the center of the room. Zelda was watching him to see what he would do. He scanned the room again and his eyes now came upon those two platforms again. He still couldn't see what was there. However Link saw for the first time that above each platform was a clawshot target. Link took out his clawshot and fired it at the target. The clawshot went flying towards the target but was too short to make it and fell short. Link sighed and put his clawshot away. He had to think of a way to get to higher ground. Link started pacing with Zelda still intently watching. Link was a little annoyed that she hadn't thought of anything but he supposed that she was thinking hard and hadn't come to a solution. After all she had never been in this kind of situation before and he had.

Link continued pacing until he laid eyes on the black box again. Once he laid eyes on it, a light bulb went off in his head. Link then ran over to the black box and climbed on top of it. Link looked at the clawshot target above the platform and saw to his disappointment that he was still too far away. Link was about to give up hope when he saw another clawshot target. This one was on the ceiling and was a lot closer to Link. Close enough in fact that Link thought that he could reach this one. Link shot his clawshot at it. It stuck and Link went flying through the air. He was now hanging from the clawshot target. He saw that he was now much closer to the other clawshot target and was easily within reach. He took out his second clawshot and shot himself at the second target. He dropped down and was now on top of the platform. On the platform, there was a vase.

"That's it! A vase! After all I went through to get up here all that's up here is a vase!" screamed Link releasing all his frustration.

"Hey don't get frustrated Link! That vase can hold down the switch so we can progress forward. Toss it down to me so I can put it on the switch," said Zelda from below.

"Oh right. I didn't think about that," said Link. He picked up the vase and dropped it down to Zelda. Zelda caught it and put it on the switch. The vase made the switch go down but not down enough to the point where it would make the bars on the door go down.

"It's not enough! We need something else that will make the switch go down!" called Zelda from down on the floor.

Link started looking around for something else and he looked across at the other platform. There was another vase there as well as another clawshot target. Link took out his clawshot and shot it at the other target. It stuck and Link flew through the air towards the second platform. He came down on the platform and picked up the vase. He dropped it down to Zelda and she caught it. She placed it down on the switch and it went all the way down and the iron bars went down from the door. Link jumped down from the platform and joined Zelda as they walked towards the door. They opened the door and went to the next room.

This next room was a small room. It was empty except for a fireplace. The fire place had no fire in it. Link was puzzled. If this room was empty where would the key that opened the door come from? He hadn't seen a key or a chest with a key anywhere. Link was about to turn back but he suddenly had an idea. He took out his lantern and waved it in front of the fireplace so that the fireplace now had fire in it. Within seconds, a chest materialized in the center of the room. Link walked over to it and opened it. Inside was a key. Link put the key in his pocket and led Zelda out the door. Link and Zelda walked over to the door with the padlock over it. Link put the key in the padlock and the padlock fell to the floor. Link and Zelda opened the door and advanced to the next room.

The next room was a rectangular room with a door straight ahead. The door had iron bars going across it like the previous one. The ceiling was very low, only about two feet above Link's head. The room was empty except for three giant spiders that were blocking the path. Zelda shrieked and backed away. Link drew his sword and advanced. The middle spider crawled forward. Link slashed a couple of times with his sword and the spider was dead. The same fate awaited the other two spiders as they quickly were dispatched of. Link looked around the room seeing if there was anything left in the room. There was a random clawshot target above Link's head but there was really nothing of any importance in this room. Link stepped forward towards the door to check it out. Link had taken two steps forward when a trap door opened and Link had fallen into a room below the floor.

The room was very dimly lit. It was a rectangular room with four lit torches situated in the four corners of the room. There were also four unlit torches in the middle of the room arranged in a square. There was also another black box with a Triforce symbol on it. This one was smaller though and looked like Link could push it. There was no door in the room so Link was stuck unless he could solve the puzzle.

"Link are you ok?" called down Zelda.

"Yeah I'm fine. There's just this puzzle that I have to solve," responded Link. Link started walking around the room looking for any sort of clues. Link came to the wall on the right hand side of the room and there was an engraving in the wall. The engraving said:

"Reveal the hidden by balancing light and darkness."

This Puzzled Link as there was already a balance between lighted torches and unlighted torches. Link supposed that there needed to be two torches on the outside lit and two torches in the middle lit. He whipped out his gale boomerang. Link took aim at the torch on the outside close right-hand side and let it loose. The gale boomerang blew out the torch but after a couple seconds, the torch was re-lit. Link was confused and took aim at the torch on the outside close left-handed side. He fired and that torch was extinguished. Within seconds, that torch was re-lit also. Link took aim at the outside far right hand torch and shot it at the torch. This torch was extinguished. Link waited a couple of seconds but the torch was not re-lit. This confirmed to Link that there were specific torches that he had to light and unlight.

Link then took out his lantern and walked to the unlit torches that were lit in a square. He put his lantern up to the upper left torch. The torch was lit and shone brightly. After a couple of seconds, the torch was extinguished and the torch that Link had already extinguished was re-lit. Link had apparently lit the wrong torch and now the torches were reset.

Link decided to look for clues that might help distinguish which torches he had to extinguish and light. Link walked around the room looking very closely at all the torches. After inspecting all of them, he noticed that each torch had a small Triforce symbol on the shaft of the torch. There were four torches that had a gold Triforce mark and four that had an orange Triforce mark. Link supposed that this was a clue. All the Triforce symbols that Link had seen up until now have all had golden triangles. So Link supposed that he had to light or extinguish the ones with a golden mark.

Link took out his gale boomerang again and took aim at the outside far right hand torch and let the gale boomerang loose. The fire was extinguished and just as before, did not get re-lit. The next target was the one in the outside close left hand corner. Link shot his gale boomerang at it and the wind blew out the flame. Just like the first one, it was not re-lit after a couple of seconds. Link then put the gale boomerang away, took out the lantern and headed towards the interior torches. Link lighted the two right handed side torches. They did not get extinguished and Link waited in anticipation. Nothing happened for a couple of seconds which had Link slightly disappointed but suddenly a door materialized straight ahead of where Link was standing. Link crossed over to it and opened the door. He went inside and was greeted with a strange room.

This room was a very tall cylindrical room. There was light coming up from the top of the room. Link looked up and saw that there was a glass window pane on the room looking up into another room. However Link also saw something that made him jump. There was a giant moth up at the top of the room and the moth was coming down towards Link. The moth was a grayish color and had purple eyes with huge teeth. Link drew his sword and prepared for the attack. The moth came charging down. Link rolled ahead of him and then turned around and jabbed the moth's wings. The wings were ripped from the moth's body and the moth's body started twitching on the ground. The moth's body could not move. Link couldn't stand the sight so he took out a bomb and threw it at the moth. The bomb exploded and the moth was gone.

Link breathed a sigh of relief and put his sword back in its holster. Link never got a good look around the room so he checked it out. There was a switch next to a pile of leaves that were on the floor. Link went to step on it. The switch went down and when Link got off of it, stayed down. Link assumed that the door in the room where Zelda was occupied was now open. Link went back into the torch room and went back towards the trap door. He saw the clawshot target and pulled out his clawshot. He fired it at the target but the clawshot was not long enough. Link was surprised but then remembered that black box that he saw. Link went back into the torch room and saw the black box that was located in the close right hand corner of the room. Link got behind the box and pushed it in the tunnel where the trap door path was.

Link brought the box to where the path was and then got on top of it. Link took out his clawshot and once again fired at the target. The clawshot stuck and Link was hanging in the air. Link dropped down and was once again in the room where Zelda was.

"Link you're back! What was down there?" asked Zelda.

"Just a bunch of torches and a giant moth," said Link laughing.

"Do you want to proceed?" asked Zelda.

"Certainly. Let's go through this door," answered Link. The two of them walked up to the door and went through it.

The room they were in was just as small as the fireplace room. The walls were just as stained green as the entire temple was. Inside this room was a single chest. Link went over to the chest and opened it. Inside was a hatchet. The hatchet blade was sharp and grey. It had a black handle. Link picked it up and held it. It was light but Link sensed that it was powerful. Zelda came over to the chest and looked inside.

"Look there's a note inside!" exclaimed Zelda. Link turned around and looked inside the chest. Link took it and read it. The note said:

"This hatchet has a blade that will never get dull. It can cut anything. It will have unbearable weight to anybody but the chosen hero. Use it well."

The note was signed by somebody named Impa. Link looked at Zelda.

"Do you have any idea who Impa is? This temple did belong to the royal family," asked Link. Zelda thought for a moment.

"I think I've heard stories about her. She was the leader of the sheikah. She was the one who opened the old Kakariko Village to the public I imagine," answered Zelda.

"Well anyway, this hatchet should be able to cut the vines that are hanging over the doors in the front of the temple," said Link. Zelda nodded and the two of them went back into the room with the trap door. They then crossed the room and went through the door that led them to the room with the platforms. They crossed this room and entered the door at the end. They were now in the first room of the temple with the two doors covered in vines. Link led Zelda to the left one. He took out his hatchet and began attacking the vines with it. The vines were soon cut and the door was free. Link and Zelda went inside.

Inside there was a short room and then a set of stairs that began in the far right corner of the room. Link and Zelda went up the stairs and were faced with a huge door with an equally huge lock on it. Link then realized that they needed a boss key. He led Zelda back down the stairs and through the door that they had previously came through. The two of them went across the room to the other door that had vines all over it. Link took out his hatchet again and ridded the door of its vines. Link and Zelda went inside. Inside they were greeted with a short narrow passageway with a door at the end. The door had a padlock over it. Link was confused.

"Did you see any keys or chests that we missed?" he asked Zelda.

"No, I didn't see any," responded Zelda.

Link was confused even more. He had no idea that they had missed a key but he didn't think they did. Link went up to the door and began inspecting it. Just for the hell of it, Link tried to turn the knob. The knob turned and the door opened. The door was never locked in the first place.

"I guess that lock is to confuse anybody who breaks into this temple," commented Zelda.

"I guess so. I'm glad I decided to try to turn the knob," said Link as he laughed. Zelda laughed too and the two of them went inside to the next room.

This next room was shaped in a square. The room was lit by two torches, one on the right wall and one on the left wall. Under the right torch there was an indent in the wall with a chest stuck behind bars. Link went over to this chest. The chest was a dark brownish color with pink gems on it. Link recognized this chest as the boss key chest. But it was stuck behind bars so Link obviously needed to complete some sort of puzzle.

Link was then surprised by a jump. He looked to his left and there was a jar that was jumping up and down. Link went over to it. It was still jumping up and down. Link took out his sword and shattered the jar. Out popped the familiar Ooccoo mother and son. Link was shocked.

"Hello there son! My son saw you and followed you here. We ended up getting lost in the temple and somehow got stuck inside this jar. Thanks for saving us! As a reward, me and my son will stay with you for whenever you need us," said the Ooccoo mother and the two of them jumped inside Link's pocket.

"Who were those two?" asked Zelda as she came over to Link.

"Some friends of mine," answered Link who was still in shock that Ooccoo and Ooccoo Jr. were here. "Anyway we need to solve the puzzle here. Have you got any ideas?"

"I think it has something to do with that balance over there," said Zelda pointing to the left side of the room.

Link looked over to the left side of the room and saw that there was a balance with two scales. Above the balance in gold lettering it said

"Balance the scale to claim you prize."

Link and Zelda walked towards the balance. The balance was gold and the scales were elevated off the ground a little bit.

"Why don't you get on one side and me the other?" asked Zelda.

"We could try that," answered Link.

The two of them got on separate sides. Link's side of the balance went down while Zelda's went up a little bit. Link had been expecting this because he assumed that he weighed more than Zelda.

"Why don't I give you the hatchet? It's supposed to be heavy," suggested Link.

"Good idea," said Zelda. Link got off of the scale and walked over to Zelda's. The scale that Link had been on went up while Zelda's went down. Link took out the hatchet and put it next to Zelda on the scale. Zelda's scale went down towards the ground even more. Link went back to his scale and got on. His scale went towards the ground a little bit but not enough to be even with Zelda's. Link then had an idea that he was surprised he had not thought of sooner.

"Zelda! Come over to my side and maybe we'll be even!" called Link. Zelda nodded and got off of her scale. Link's scale went up a little bit. Zelda then got on. The two scales went up and down accordingly and then stopped, each of the scales being in exactly the same position. Link saw that the bars in front of the boss key were gone and now the chest was easily assessable.

Link helped Zelda down from the scale and after he put the hatchet back in his pocket, led her over to the chest. Link pulled it from out in front of the indent in the wall. Link then opened the chest and took out the key inside. The key looked like it was very old it was stained green like the rest of the temple. Link put it in his pocket and led Zelda back towards the main room. Link and Zelda crossed the room and went towards the room with the stairs. Link and Zelda went up the stairs to the door. Link put the key in the padlock and the door came open. Link and Zelda went inside.

The room they were now in was gigantic. However the majority of the room was covered in vines so Link couldn't make out the specifics. There was a door at the far end. Link started walking towards the door when he stopped. In the center of the floor was a huge plant. The plant had a huge head like a Venus flytrap. It had vines for hands. Link looked apprehensively at those vines. He took out his hatchet. The plant appeared to be sleeping. Link started tiptoeing silently trying to get passed the plant. However the plant woke up and looked at Link with its ugly head. It gave a roar and started moving its vine arms. Link gave a start and ran back towards the door.

Link counted and saw that the plant had eight vine arms. The plant started waving them around wildly and gave a roar. Link started moving carefully towards the plant. Suddenly one of the plants vine arms launched itself at Link. Link dodged and the plant arm struck the ground, leaving itself vulnerable. Link took this advantage and cut it off with his hatchet. The plant riled in pain. Link got closer to it and within seconds the plant threw another one at Link. Link prepared to cut it off with his hatchet too when another arm hit him. Link was knocked back and went flying into the wall. Link hit the wall with great force and landed on the floor in pain. Link hobbled and got back up.

Link started advancing in on the plant again. An arm was sent at Link. Link dodged it and waited for the second one. It came moments later. Link dodged that one too and both of them off with his hatchet. Another one came flying right at Link. Link was too slow to dodge this one and the plant lifted him up in the air. Link was struggling to get out but the plant's hold on him was too great. The plant began lifting Link towards its mouth. Link was terrified and tried to get out. He struggled to move his arm. After much struggling, Link was able to move his arm. He gripped his hatchet and cut the arm that was holding him off. Link dropped down to the ground and clutched his hatchet tightly.

The plant only had four arms left. Link started to wonder how he was going to defeat the plant once all the arms were taken care of. He decided that he would toss a bomb in its mouth and then hit the deck. Link started advancing towards the plant again. The plant was hesitant to swing its arms at Link again. Link was able to get very close to the plant again. Link then decided that if the plant wasn't going to swing its arms at Link, he would have to cut them off himself. He advanced on one of its arms and cut it off with his hatchet. Before the plant could react he had already cut two more off. The plant swung its last remaining arm and Link and hit him squarely in the face. Link had vine cuts all over his face when he got back up. Link gripped his hatchet and started advancing carefully.

The plant swung its arm at Link wildly. Link swung at its arm with its hatchet but missed and the momentum brought him down on the ground. The plant swung it at Link again. Link blocked it with his shield and got up. The plant was slow to react and Link cut off its last arm with his hatchet. Link then pulled out a bomb and threw it inside the plant's mouth. Link then ran back towards Zelda. The plant swallowed the bomb and within seconds the bomb exploded and the plant was detonated. There stood nothing but ashes where the plant used to be. Relieved, Link put his hatchet away.

Zelda walked over to him.

"Well I guess we should go through the door," she said.

"Yeah, just let me catch my breath for a minute ok?" asked Link. Zelda nodded and waited for him. Link started breathing in and out and within minutes had his breath back. He nodded at Zelda and smiled and the two of them walked towards the door. Link and Zelda opened the door and went inside. Inside there was a chest. Link opened it and found a shard that looked to be that of a sword.

Suddenly Ooccoo and Ooccoo Jr. popped out of Link's pocket.

"I think you found what you were looking for. Let us transport the two of you outside," said Ooccoo.

Ooccoo and Ooccoo Jr. did their magic and Link and Zelda were transported back outside.


	10. Chapter 10: Back Below Lake Hylia

**Author's Note: Here is chapter 10. I decided to post it early because it'll be awhile before chapter 11 is posted.**

Chapter 10: Back Below Lake Hylia

Link and Zelda came back down at the front of the temple. The Occo appeared in thin air, thanked Link and Zelda for finding them and teleported off. Link took out the Breaker Sword shard that had been found after he defeated the vine monster and looked at it. The shard looked as if it was one of two pieces. It looked as though Link got the top part as it looked as if Link had the blade. Link supposed that the other piece was the shaft of the sword.

"Well, we have two more pieces to get," said Link. Zelda nodded and the two of them walked out of the woods and into the village.

Link and Zelda walked through the village and headed to the cave. Link put the shard back in his pocket. Suddenly Zelda stopped.

"What are we going to do now?" asked Zelda.

"I guess we could go back to Castle Town and see if there's been any news," said Link.

"I guess we could do that. We have no idea where any of the other pieces could be," responded Zelda.

The two of them walked through the cave and were in the very northern part of Hyrule Field. They got on Epona and began to go to Castle Town. They went left and headed back to the Bridge of Eldin. They then arrived in the part of Hyrule Field that was north of Kakariko Village. They took a left and went to the path which led to the western entrance of Castle Town. When they got to the entrance, Link and Zelda got off of Epona and entered Castle Town. Castle Town was just as busy as always with people running about doing their business. Link and Zelda arrived in the Castle Town square and went south to Telma's bar.

"Hello Link, Princess Zelda," greeted Telma as Link and Zelda walked in the bar. "I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" asked Zelda. Link winked at her and she winked back because they already knew what was coming.

"Shad sent a letter to me saying that he has found an underwater area that could fit your description," said Telma.

"He said that it was near Lake Hylia and that you two should meet him by the bank of the lake."

"Ok. Thanks a lot Telma," said Link. Telma smiled and winked at him. Link didn't like it when she did that. It made him think she was coming on to him.

Link and Zelda walked out the door and out into the streets of Castle Town. They went to the left and headed towards the western exit where Epona was. When they got to Epona, they got on and were back in Hyrule Field in a couple of minutes. When they were in Hyrule Field, they went to take the eastern most path that led to Lake Hylia. Link then had Epona stop because he had an idea.

"Wait a second. I have something we might need so let's stop off in Ordon first," said Link. Link led Epona back towards the middle of Hyrule Field and then went south towards Orodn. Link led Epona past Coro the lantern salesman's house as they went back towards the fork in the road. They went east and arrived in Ordon within minutes.

What greeted Link when he and Zelda arrived in Ordon was a devastating scene. The entire village was burnt to the ground. All the houses in the village were nothing but ashes now. Link was shocked. It appeared that the bandits had come back and destroyed the village.

Link felt a whirlpool of rage build up inside him. This rage was quickly replaced by extreme sadness. Zelda sensed this and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry Link, we'll rebuilt the village when all of this is over," said Zelda gently.

"It's just… this is my hometown, and to see it all burnt down to the ground…" Link started as tears started developing in his eyes.

"I know. It must be hard. I had similar feelings when Hyrule Castle was burnt down," said Zelda consolingly. Link took a couple of minutes to collect himself.

"Alright, enough distractions. Let's go to my house. I have something I need to get," said Link, wiping his eyes.

Link led Zelda up the path towards his house. Link was not prepared for what met his eye. Link's house was in total desolation. The tree in which it hung was burnt to the ground and the house itself was in total ruins. Link lost it then and there. He fell to the ground and was overwhelmed by tears. Zelda came over and put her arm around him. Link kept crying and Zelda hugged him consolingly. Zelda held Link for awhile until he was done crying. When he was done, Link got up.

"Thanks Zelda," said Link gratefully.

"No problem Link. I completely understand," answered Zelda sweetly.

"Anyway, I see the bandits didn't take anything. Maybe what I was planning on getting is still here," said Link as he led Zelda to the ruins.

Link rummaged through all the rubble and found the chest that contained all of his belongings that he had obtained on his journey. He sorted through his things and found it. He took out his Zora armor and showed it to Zelda.

"You see this armor? It was given to me by the Zora Queen Ruela. This armor allows me to breathe infinite amounts of air just like the Zoras do," explained Link as he held it in front of him.

"Ah this will be useful. Just let me duplicate it," answered Zelda. She waved her hand and suddenly there were two pairs of Zora armor. Link put both of them away and led Zelda back to Epona who was standing in the middle of the ruined village. Link helped Zelda on Epona and the two of them started riding off. They headed out of Ordon Village and headed back towards Faron Woods.

Link was surprised at the reaction that seeing Ordon Village and his house burned to the ground brought. He wasn't one that cried very easily. He was a little ashamed that he had started crying in front of Zelda. He wasn't happy about her seeing him so vulnerable. He supposed that seeing his home ruined was one of those things that just got to a person. He would just not have to let this happen too often.

They rode until they came to the fork in the road and went west. Link, Zelda and Epona traveled past Coro the lanern salesman's house and were once again in Hyrule Field. They went east and were once again along the path that led to Lake Hylia. They traveled along the path and came to the spot where Falbi's house was. Link and Zelda got off of Epona and went towards the house.

"Wait a second, we're going to have to take those cuccos down again aren't we?" asked Zelda.

"I'm afraid so. It's the only way to get down there," said Link. He made an apologetic face at Zelda.

"I'll have to fix that," answered Zelda. She sighed and followed Link to Falbi's house.

When they went inside, they were greeted with Falbi almost immediately.

"Hello Mr. Link. Hello again Princess Zelda. I take it that since you are back you will be needing a ride down to the bank?" greeted Falbi with a smile.

"Yes so we'll need two cuccos," said Link.

"Right away Mr. Link," Falbi said and walked off. After a couple of seconds, Falbi returned with a chicken for both Link and Zelda.

"Here you go. Enjoy your flight," said Falbi and he walked away.

Link and Zelda walked to the edge of Falbi's house with their two cuccos.

"I hope this is the last time I have to do this," Zelda said as she grabbed her cucco.

"You're telling me you don't like flying down with a cucco flapping down on top of you?" asked Link grinning.

"No I do not," answered Zelda cooly.

The two of them grabbed onto their cuccos and jumped off the edge of the house towards Lake Hylia. They went plummeting down and their cuccos started flapping and slowed them down. The chickens flapping their wings gradually brought them down to the ground.

"It's nice of you to join me here today Link," said a voice.

"It's nice that you are able to help me out today Shad," responded Link grinning.

"Always a pleasure. Anyway come with me. I have to show you something," said Shad. He led them to the edge of the bank. He then pointed down to the bottom of Lake Hylia.

"Do you see that big rock at the bottom of this lake?" Shad asked.

"Yes, is that where the place you were talking about is?" asked Link.

"Yes. Below that rock is the entrance to an ancient underwater temple. It has been hidden here for tens of thousands of years. Nobody had ever even suspected that it was there. But just recently, a few Zoras stumbled upon its entrance and have told me about it," said Shad.

"Thanks Shad. This should help us on our journey," said Zelda gratefully.

"Always a pleasure to help. Good luck on your journey," said Shad as he walked away. Zelda turned to Link.

"Well here take your Zora armor," said Link pulling out both Zora armors.

Link and Zelda both stripped down (Link looking away of course) and dove for the bottom. Once at the bottom, Link spotted the boulder. He took out a water bomb and threw it at the rock. Link and Zelda swam inside the tunnel that the explosion created.

**Next Chapter: The Underwater Temple**


	11. Chapter 11: The Underwater Temple

**Author's Note: I'm extremely sorry for the long wait in between chapters. I have been very busy and haven't had enough time for writing. I promise that the next chapter will not be as long a wait as this one was. This chapter is also the longest one of the story so far so that contributed to the long wait. Enjoy chapter 11!**

Chapter 11: The Underwater Temple

Link and Zelda were inside the tunnel and started swimming. The tunnel went on for a bit. They swam until they saw that the tunnel ended abruptly and there was a large hole in the ground. This hole was so deep that Link couldn't see the bottom.

"Zelda grab my hand. I'm going to get us down there fast," said Link, his voice a little unclear because of the water but Zelda seemed to have understood because she grabbed Link's hand.

Link then took out his iron boots and switched them with his normal boots. Link and Zelda started plummeting down the hole. They fell for at least ten minutes when Link hit the ground hard. They had arrived in a huge underground cavern. In this underground cavern there was an extravagant temple. The temple was a bluish color with all sorts of diamonds and pearls as decorations. Link saw that there were two big doors at the front of the temple. On the left hand side of those doors there was a hole that appeared to be a broken window.

Link walked over to the temple, dragging Zelda with him. They approached the doors. Link tried to open them but they were tightly shut. Link then led Zelda to the broken window. The hole was just big enough for Link and Zelda to fit through. When they got inside they were treated with a magnificent sight.

This room was a room that was similar to that of a palace. There were pearls as decorations everywhere and a gigantic chandelier that seemed to be made out of crystal. There was a grand staircase in the middle of the room leading up to the top. At the top, after the grand staircase, there were three doors, one to the left, right and center. At the bottom of the grand staircase there were three additional doors, one to the right, left and center. The doors on the right hand side and in the middle of the bottom floor both had key padlocks over them. Link started to dread this place, this place seemed like it was huge.

Link had no idea where to start so he led Zelda left of the grand staircase and towards the door on the left. Link and Zelda went inside and were greeted with a small room. This room was empty except for a door at the end. The floor had been cut in half with a big gap in the center of the room. Link started walking over to the gap and was met with a surprise. A giant eel swam up and surprised Link. Link nearly had a heart attack as he led Zelda back to the door. When they retreated, the eel went back in its resting place. Link took out a water bomb and threw it in the gap. The bomb went into the gap and a large explosion ensued. Link heard the eel scream but then there was silence. Letting go of Zelda's hand, Link went to go check on the eel.

There was no eel anymore as the bomb had disintegrated it. Link took off the iron boots and he and Zelda swam to the other side of the room. Link grabbed Zelda's hand again as he put iron boots on again. Link then opened the door and he and Zelda arrived in the next room. This room was rather small as well. The walls were a bluish color and were decorated with gems like the rest of the temple. There was a chest up on a huge pedestal. Link supposed that he could swim up to it. Link took off the iron boots and started swimming over to the chest. Once Link got close to the chest, a bunch of fish started swimming towards him. These fish had spikes all over their body and looked ready to attack Link. Link backed off and swam back to Zelda. However Link noticed that those fish could only see in front of them as their heads were stuck squarely in their bodies. So Link would have to sneak by the fish from under them. Link didn't think the chances of that were very high though because the fish were now floating right next to the chest.

Link had to find a way to lower the chest. Link looked around the room for a couple of seconds. Link's eyes then came on a deep blue diamond. Link had seen these kinds of diamonds before. Once Link touched them, something would happen. Link put the iron boots back on and he sunk back to the ground. Link then took out his clawshot and aimed it at the diamond. Link fired the clawshot at the diamond and waited to see what would happen. Once the diamond was struck by the clawshot, it turned bright yellow. Then the pedestal came all the way to the ground. The fish, who could only see in front of them, didn't notice a thing.

Link then ran towards the chest. He made it before the pedestal went back up and opened the chest. Inside was a key. Link took it and quickly got off the pedestal. The pedestal went back up after a couple of seconds. Link had just made it in time. He ran over back to Zelda who was floating in the water. He grabbed Zelda's hand and led her back through the door. When he got back through the door, he let go of Zelda's hand and took off the iron boots. He and Zelda swam past the gape in the floor and came to the door. Link grabbed Zelda's hand and put the iron boots back on. He and Zelda went back through the door and were back in the main room.

Now there were two choices that Link could use the key on. He had to pick the right one. Link led Zelda past the staircase and headed for the door on the right hand side of the room. Link put the key in the keyhole and the padlock and the padlock fell to the ground. Link opened the door and led Zelda into the next room.

This next room was a short one just like the room with the gap in it. This room had no gap however and at the end there was a door. The room was rather empty so Link and Zelda didn't have to worry about any sort of creature attacking them. Link led Zelda to the door and the two of the proceeded to the next room.

The next room was larger than the previous rooms that Link had been in. There were two statues that immediately caught Link's eyes at the end of the room. The statues looked to be Zoras. They were dressed in the same Zora outfit that Link and Zelda were wearing now and were both carrying spears. They appeared to be made of marble and each were situated on each side of a door that had iron bars going across it. They were completely stationary. Link looked at them for a couple of seconds and then scanned the room to see if there was anything else in the room to help him move along.

Link's eyes fell on a crack in the wall on the right hand side of the room. It was so small that Link might not have noticed it if he were not scanning the room carefully. Link walked over to the room and took out a water bomb. He placed it in front of the wall and walked away a couple of paces. The bomb exploded and revealed a switch amongst the rubble. Link walked over again to the bomb and stepped on it. The statues slowly moved to opposite sides of the room and paved the way to the door. The iron bars then disappeared and the door was free to be opened. Link grabbed Zelda's hand and led her towards the door. They went inside and were inside another room.

This next room was about the same size as the previous room. The room had a crystallized floor and there was a throne in the far end. The throne was a very fancy looking throne. It was completely crystallized with two crystallized Zoras on either side of it. However what really caught Link's eye was the chest on top of the throne. Link and Zelda went over to the throne. Link let go of Zelda's hand and as Zelda floated behind him, Link opened the chest. Inside was a key. Link was satisfied. This key could be used to open the door behind the stairs in the main room. Link put the key in his pocket and turned around to head out of the room.

Facing him was a huge fish. It appeared to be a shark with its sharp teeth. Link took out his shield as the shark rammed at him. The shark was knocked backwards. Link quickly took out a water bomb and threw it at the shark. The bomb landed in the shark's mouth and within two seconds it exploded. There were no more remains of the shark. Link put his shield away and grabbed Zelda's hand again. The two of them then walked along the crystallized floor to the door. They went through it and were back in the previous room. The path to the door was clear and the two of them went through the room and through the door. They arrived in the main room again.

Link just stood back and was amazed at the decorations in this room. He wondered where the ancient Zoras got all the diamonds and pearls and how they made the crystal chandelier. Link really admired the Zoras decorative spirit and as Link glanced over to Zelda, he could tell that she felt the same way. Link decided that it was time he stopped gawking at the decorations and get moving. He led Zelda through the water towards the door behind the stairs. Link took the key out of his pocket and put it in the padlock. The padlock fell to the ground and the door was left to be open. Link and Zelda went through and arrived in a rather large room. The room was circular and had a door on the left hand and right hand side of the room. However in the center of the room was a huge statue of a Zora in the center of the room. The Zora had its left hand extended and its hand was in a fist as though it were holding something but there was nothing there. Right in front of the statue was a circle. The circle looked as though it was a trap door. However when Link stepped over it, nothing happened. Link was going to walk away when he saw writing in the circle. The writing said

"Open the door by returning the Trident to its rightful place."

Link now knew what he needed to do. He had to find this trident and put it in the hand of the Zora. Link looked around the room and saw that there were two doors. One of the doors was on the left hand side of the room and the other was on the right hand side. Link led Zelda to the door on the right hand side. The two of them went in the room and were greated with a strange sight. The room was empty except for a giant shark that was tied to a stake in the ground by a metal chain. The shark looked very old with brownish skin and small whiskers growing along its nose. The shark looked up as the two of them came in the room and looked down sadly. Link and Zelda slowly moved across the room towards the shark. The shark did not do anything to them and Link and Zelda were able to get very close to it. Link took out his hatchet and cut the chain so that the shark was free.

The shark looked surprise and swam up towards Link.

"Thank you for releasing me from my containment. I had been locked against this stake for a long time," said the shark.

"How can you speak?" asked Link.

"My masters taught me how to speak just as they did," answered the shark.

"Who tied you up for so long?" asked Zelda.

"My masters. I was a pet of theirs. Whenever I would stay in the palace, I would get tied up against this stake. But my masters forgot about me when they went to war and were all killed about two thousand years ago. So I've been stuck in this place ever since," answered the shark.

"How have you been able to live for so long?" asked Zelda.

"The Zora masters take good care of their pets. They had a special medicine that I took to keep me alive and well. Even after I had been left here, there was still some in here and I've been taking it in hopes of someone coming back for me," answered the shark.

"Wait a minute. I have a question. Since you have been living in this palace for so long, do you have any idea of where the trident might be?" asked Link.

"How do you know about the trident?" asked the shark, surprised.

"We've seen the writing on the floor in the previous room," answered Link.

"Oh, yes. Well let me think… I suppose the trident would be in its safe-keeping on the top floor of this palace. However the third floor of the palace is hard to get to. It is not so easily found so it might be a hard journey. Long ago, this palace was filled with puzzles to confuse enemies who happened to come into the palace during wartime. Also, after the war started, many doors in this palace were locked and several keys were hidden throughout the palace. Those keys are protected by several riddles. If you want the trident, you must go there. Thanks again for freeing me," said the shark and he swam through the still open door.

Link and Zelda watched the shark swim through the door and then turned to look at each other.

"Now we know what we have to do and where we have to go. From here on out, the biggest challenge is going to execute," said Link.

"Agreed. We need to focus on this task," said Zelda. Link nodded his head and the two of them went out the door and were back in the room with the statue. Link and Zelda went through to the door across the hall and went through the door.

This next room was very small. It felt as if it was a kitchen of sorts. There was a stove in the top right-hand corner of the room. There was a small pedestal in the center of the room and lots of shelves on the walls around it. Located on the shelves were what looked like to be about two hundred small bottles. All of the bottles were opaque which made it impossible for Link to see the inside of them. Link supposed that one of these bottles was meant to be put on the pedestal now the question was which one?

Link looked around for any sort of clues that would lead him in the right direction to what he had to do. On his first glance around the room, he could see nothing that could help him. Link took a random bottle off of the shelf and felt it. The bottle was extremely light so Link supposed that one of these bottles was filled with a substance. The only problem would be finding out which bottle was filled with the substance. Link suddenly had an idea.

"Hey, Zelda. If I destroy the bottle with the substance in it, would you be able to put it back together?"

"Probably. I would put it together with magic," replied Zelda.

"Excellent," commented Link. Link then pulled out his Gale boomerang. He took aim and sent it flying around the room. Every single bottle in the room was destroyed. On the far right hand side of the shelf Link could see a huge solid like substance. It appeared to be a grayish color and was rather large. It appeared to fit exactly inside the bottle. Link understood now. He wasn't supposed to put the jar on the pedestal. He was supposed to put the solid rock-like substance on the pedestal. Link reached up and grabbed the rock. Despite its size, it was rather heavy. Link brought it over to the pedestal and placed it down on top of the pedestal. A gust of wind came out of nowhere from within the pedestal. It lasted a couple of seconds and stopped. The rock was gone. Replacing it was an old wooden chest. Link opened the chest and peered inside. Inside was an old silver key. The key was rusted a little but Link supposed that it could still get the job done.

Link led Zelda back into the room they had previously been in. They both traveled through the door on the right hand side and were back in the stairwell room. Link took a glance at the second floor at the top of the staircase and saw that the doors on the left and right side had had padlocks over them while the door straight ahead was free of a padlock. Link led Zelda up the stairs. They were soon on the second floor and went left towards the door on the left hand side. Link put the silver key he had found downstairs into the padlock. The padlock fell through the ground as the door was now free. Link and Zelda went inside.

The room the two of them were in was a huge room but it was empty. The only thing in the room was a huge metal block that was blocking the edge of the room straight ahead. Link and Zelda moved over to the metal block. Link tried moving it but it was much too heavy to be budged.

"This block is much too heavy. It looks like we have to go back," said Link.

"It would appear that way," agreed Zelda.

The two of them went back to the door and went through it and were back in the grand staircase room. Link led Zelda to the door in the center that didn't have a padlock on it. Once they got inside Link and Zelda were shocked when the door suddenly snapped shut and iron bars rose above it, blocking their escape. Link looked around the room. It was a huge circular room. There were three pillars in the room and they were arranged in the shape of triangle.

Suddenly Link laid eyes on the creature that was in this room. It was an orange-brown octopus. It was currently sleeping. Link crept towards it and drew his sword. Link's iron boots echoed tremendously in the silence of the room and this caused the octopus to wake. The octopus then roared to wake and showed its true size. It was the same size as the room which must have been eight feet tall. Link gripped his sword and waited to see what the octopus would do.

The octopus shot ink at Link. Link put up his shield in time to deflect the blow. Link slowly started to advance on the octopus, his iron boots not allowing him to charge at the octopus. Link was about three feet away from the giant octopus when the octopus shot ink at him again. Link rolled to the side and dodged the blast. Link then took out his clawshot. Link fired the clawshot at the octopus's head. The clawshot grabbed the octopus' nose and brought the octopus rushing towards Link. Link quickly took out a water bomb and tossed it down the octopus' mouth. Link took off the iron boots and quickly swam towards the opposite end of the room where Zelda was. The bomb exploded and the octopus was destroyed.

Suddenly something began to materialize in the center of the room. It was a chest. Link put his iron boots back on and walked over to where the chest was. Zelda followed him and came up right next to him. Link opened the chest. Inside was a pair of gauntlets. They were exactly the same as the gloves Link wore now except that they had a Triforce mark in the center of the glove. Link took off his gloves and put on the gauntlets. Immediately he felt power flow through him. He felt like he had super strength. Link put his normal gloves in his pocket.

"Are those the fabled power gauntlets that I've heard about? They're supposed to bring great strength to those who wear them." said Zelda in awe.

"Where did you hear about them?" asked Link astounded.

"I've heard stories told by traveling merchants in Castle Town Square. They're coveted by collectors because they're worth a lot of money," answered Zelda.

"Well I don't intend on selling these," said Link as he led Zelda out of the room.

"I should think not, they're extremely helpful. At least now you'll be able to lift that metal block in front of the wall in the room we were just in," said Zelda.

"That's right! I forgot about that block when the octopus attacked me," remembered Link. Zelda laughed and Zelda grabbed Link's hand as he led her out the door and they were back in the main staircase room. Link and Zelda crossed the room and were in front of the door they had previously come from. The two of them went inside and they were back in the room with the black metal block. Link walked over to the block. He grabbed the block with his two hands and pulled. The block started to move because of Link's improved strength. Revealed to be behind the block was a door. Link opened the door and went into the next room. Zelda followed suit and closed the door behind them.

The room the two of them were now in was about the same size as the last room they were in. The only difference is that this room was not empty. There was a whirlpool engulfing the entire room so Link had to keep his iron boots on. He quickly grabbed Zelda's hand to prevent her from being blown across the room. However there was a pillar in the center of the room with a chest on top of it. It was impossible to reach because to reach it, Link would half to take off his iron boots and because of the whirlpool, if he took off his iron boots, he would be blown across the room.

Link scanned the room. He couldn't tell because his vision wasn't that good in the middle of a fierce whirlpool, but it looked like there was a switch in the top left hand corner of the room. Link and Zelda fought their way through the whirlpool and came to the switch. Link stepped on it and the entire whirlpool stopped. Link then took off his iron boots and swam up to the pedestal. He swam up to the chest and opened it. Inside was a key much like the one he had previously opened the door leading to this room with.

Link put the key in his pocket and put his iron boots on. He sank back to the floor and grabbed Zelda's hand, dragging her down with him. Link led Zelda to the previous door and they were soon back in the room where the giant metal block was. Link and Zelda crossed the room and arrived at the door that led to the main staircase room. Link and Zelda crossed the room and arrived at a door with a padlock on it. Link took the key he had just obtained out of his pocket and put it into a padlock.

The room they were in now was empty except for a giant black metal block in the middle of the room. The room was small, about eight by eight feet. The wall behind the metal block wasn't smooth like the rest of the room so Link got a little suspicious. He led Zelda over to the wall. He was about to take a bomb out of his pocket when Zelda stopped him.

"Link I don't think you should bomb that wall. If you bomb that wall the water in this room would flood the room and I have a feeling that this wall was built to keep the water out," said Zelda.

"Well then what do you think I should do?" asked Link.

"Well you could move that block in front of the door. That would keep the water from going through the cracks around the door and get rid of the water," suggested Zelda.

"That sounds like a good idea," said Link. He let go of Zelda's hand and walked over to the block in the center of the room. Using the power of his power gauntlets, he moved the block in front of the door, blocking the water flow. Zelda then waved her hand and all the water was gone. Zelda landed on the floor, having been floating in the water.

"It sure is nice to be able to walk again," said Zelda.

"Why didn't you do that before?" asked Link.

"It would have been pointless. The minute I would have gotten rid of all the water, more water would have come in anyway," answered Zelda.

"I see. Well, let's proceed," said Link.

Link took off his iron boots and walked over towards the unstable wall. Zelda followed and stood behind Link. Link took out one of his bombs and placed it in front of the wall. Link and Zelda ran back and in a couple of seconds the bomb exploded and the wall was gone. Revealed after the explosion was a staircase. It was an old staircase with sculptures of two Zoras at the base of each side. Link and Zelda went up the staircase. At the top of the staircase there was a door. Link opened the door and went inside with Zelda following suit.

The room was a large one. Link saw at the edges of the room there was a door at the left hand side and straight ahead. The door to the left side of the room had iron bars in front of it and the door straight ahead had a padlock on it. Based on the fact that the door to the left had iron bars in front of it, Link supposed that he had to figure out this puzzle in front of him.

In front of Link there was a giant clamshell on a pedestal. Around the clamshell were four pedestals with spinners atop them. Link supposed that these were for the Gale boomerang. Link had faced these kinds of spinners before. He was supposed to hit them with the Gale boomerang in a specific order. However this was not all that was in the room. There was a big metal block in the right hand corner of the room and a big rock in the center of the room above the clam.

Link had an idea of what he was supposed to do as he went over to the block and started to pull it towards where the clam was. When Link got to the clam with the block, he climbed atop the block and took out his hatchet. He took a swipe at the rock and the rock fell from the ceiling and into the clam. The clam split in half but the force of the blow made a hole in the floor and the pedestal was knocked under the floor. Link peered down into the hole and saw that where the clam used to be was a chest. Link supposed that the reason the spinners were there were that they would be able to raise the chest.

Link took out his Gale boomerang and took aim. He then let it go and it blew across all of the spinners. The spinners started spinning and the pedestal with the chest started to rise. When the pedestal rose to the floor, Link realized that it was the same type of chest as the boss key chest that he observed in the Hidden Temple. It was a maroonish color with pink diamonds on it. Link opened the chest and inside was a very extravagant key. It was blue wish pink and purple diamonds. At the end of the key there was a Zora face. Link pocketed the key and looked at the door that previously had bars over it. Link was pleased by the fact that there weren't any bars over it anymore, thus allowing the two of them to proceed.

Link and Zelda went through the door and were in a square room. In the end of the room there was a chest. However guarding that chest was a giant crab. The crab was a reddish orange color and had giant claws about the size of Link's body. The shell on his back seemed to be made of iron. Link was going to have his hands full with this monster.

Link took out his sword and carefully approached the crab. The crab threw one of its claws at Link. Link dodged it and the claw was in the ground. Link swung his sword at the crab but the sword did nothing. This crab's claws seemed to be as hard as steel. Link would need to find another strategy.

Link began scanning the crab for a weak spot. The crab made another swing for Link but Link dodged it. Link still had no idea where to attack. The crab's tail was covered by its incredibly hard shell and its head was too high to reach. However just as Link was thinking this, he gazed upon the crab's underbelly. The underbelly was not protected by the crab's shell and looked really soft. Link decided that this was where he would strike.

The crab swung again at Link and Link again dodged it easy and rolled under the crab. Link jabbed upward at the beast and struck his underbelly. The crab made a huge cry and started to fall to the ground. Link rolled to the side to prevent the crab from crushing him. The crab hit the ground with a thud and lay there, motionless. Link put his sword away and walked over to the chest.

Inside the chest was what Link expected to be there, another key. Link pocketed the key and went to where Zelda was standing.

"You know, I can feel that we're getting close to being outta here," said Link as he and Zelda went to the door.

"I agree. We are definitely close to finding the trident," agreed Zelda as they were now in the previous room. Link walked over to the door and stuck the key in the padlock. Link and Zelda were now in a small room but what was inside the room was much more noticeable than its size.

There standing next to a statue of a Zora was the trident that Link and Zelda were dying to find. The trident was a little taller than Link and was a golden color. It looked like it shone and there were a couple of blue diamonds on it. Link walked over to the trident and took it away from where it was. Link held the trident in his hands and felt power like he had never felt before. Holding the trident in his hand felt like he could control anything. Above the statue of the Zora, Link noticed that there was writing.

"This trident is the most important artifact of our tribe. Its magic powers can protect the holder from enemies. To use it most effectively, you have to sync your mind with its."

"This trident sounds like it is really powerful," commented Link.

"Yes. I wonder, how it can protect us from enemies?" asked Zelda.

"It can probably shoot beams or something," suggested Link. "But anyway, we need to get this to the statue on the first floor." Zelda nodded and the two of them left the room.

They were now in the room with the clam. The two of them walked across the room and went through the door. When they got to the next room Link put down the trident.

"Be ready because I'm going to pull the metal block away from the door so that we can get through. But the water is going to be rushing in so we have to swim again," said Link to Zelda.

"I'm ready," called Zelda.

Link put on his iron boots and walked over to the block. Using the power of his power gauntlets, he grabbed the block and pulled it away from the door. Immediately, water flowed in quickly and covered the entire room. Link stayed rooted to the ground because of his iron boots while Zelda was raised off the ground and began to swim. Zelda swam over to Link and grabbed his hand. Link picked the trident up again and led Zelda through the door and into the main staircase room. Link led Zelda down the stairs and behind the stairs to the room that contained the Zora statue.

Link and Zelda came into the room with the Zora statue. Link took the trident and put it in the outstretched hand of the statue. The ground started shaking as the trap door opened and revealed a staircase that went down. Link took the trident out of the Zora statues hand and led Zelda down the staircase. The staircase went down for about twenty feet and at the end of it was a door. The door had a huge padlock on it with a huge key hole in the middle of it. Link took out the boss key and put it in the padlock. The door opened and Link and Zelda went through the door.

Link and Zelda were now at the top of huge cylindrical room. The room went down a long way with a stone bottom. Link's iron boots brought them down all the way to the bottom of the room. They landed on something soft. Link took off his iron boots and he and Zelda swam away from this as both had a feeling of what it was.

Link looked down and saw that what they landed on was a huge fish. It looked to be an electric fish. It was a dark greenish color and had huge teeth. It appeared to be about twenty feet long and about ten feet high. It had a light hanging over its head and on its tail it had two more lights on its tail. It seemed to be generating electricity from those three lights. The fish looked at Link with its huge eyes and gave a roar.

The fish shot electricity at Link. Link was so taken aback that he had no time to response. The only thing he had time to do is think _please don't hit me_ and close his eyes. Link waited for the electricity to flow through his veins but nothing came. Link opened his eyes and saw that there was a force field around him and the trident was glowing. Link was astounded at the power of this trident. All he had to do was think and the trident responded.

Link figured that since the trident was capable of deflecting blasts maybe it could send blasts. Link aimed the trident at the fish and fired a blast of energy. The green beam of energy created flew at the fish and a big blast followed through. When the smoke cleared however, the fish was still alive. The blast hadn't left even a tiny mark because the fish had used its light patches to create a force field of electric energy around itself.

The fish swam fast at Link. Link swam out of its way and the fish slammed headfirst into the wall. The fish began to swim around disoriented. Link used this time to communicate with Zelda who was swimming nearby.

"Zelda, I need you to help me. This fish is going to keep putting up electric force fields when I shoot at him. I need you to distract him for me," said Link.

"What did you have in mind?" asked Zelda.

"Just swim in front of his eyes and try and get his attention," said Link. Zelda nodded in understanding and swam in front of the fish. The fish had stopped being disoriented and now focused on Link. When Zelda swam in front of him, the fish's eyes went from Link to Zelda. Zelda started to swim around and the fish followed her. Link took this time to aim the trident at the fish. Link then fired another blast of energy. The blast hit one of the light pouches on the fish's tail. When the smoke cleared this time, the light in that pouch was extinguished.

The fish turned around and looked at Link. The fish then fired another blast of electricity at Link. Link took hold of the trident and formed another force field. The electricity hit the force field and was deflected towards the wall. Zelda then swam in front of the fish's eyes. The fish looked at Zelda again and started swimming after her. Marveling at how stupid the fish was, Link once again took aim with the trident. He fired another blast of energy at the second pouch of electricity on the fish's tail. The second electric pouch was extinguished as the blast from the trident hit the pouch spot on.

The fish gave a cry and looked at Link. It was then that Link noticed that Zelda wouldn't be much use this time. The pouch in front of the fish's head would be harder to hit because Link would be looking right at the fish when he hit it. Link motioned to Zelda to stop trying to distract the fish and she stopped swimming around and got out of harm's way.

Link took aim with the trident. The fish made another electric force field and Link stopped aiming the trident. The fish swam towards Link again but Link swam out of the way and dodged it. The fish swam past Link and banged headfirst into the wall again. The fish became disoriented and Link took advantage of this and aimed the trident at the fish. He fired and the blast of energy released hit the electric pouch in front of the fish's head. When the smoke cleared that pouch too was extinguished.

The fish now had all of its electric pouches extinguished, leaving it wide open for an attack by the trident. Link took aim at the fish and fired. The blast created was enormous and collided with the fish head one. The fish gave a wail and floated in the water, motionless. Link sighed in relief and relaxed, the trident still in hand. Zelda swam over and pointed down towards the bottom.

"I think I see a door downstairs. Why don't we use those iron boots of yours and go in?" asked Zelda. Link nodded and put the iron boots on. He grabbed Zelda's hand and the two of them sank to the bottom of the room. Link saw the door and walked Zelda over to it. They opened the door and went inside.

The two of them were now in a small room. The room was barely the size of Link and Zelda. Inside there was nothing but a chest. Link opened the chest and was greeted with what looked like the shard of a sword. Link looked at it, took it out of the chest and put it in his pocket. Link then grabbed Zelda's hand and used the trident to teleport them out of the palace.

Link and Zelda were now at the entrance of the palace. Link took the trident and placed it right in front of the front door. He felt that he had no right to take it from its rightful place. He thanked the trident for all its help and placed it on the steps. He then took off his iron boots and led the way in swimming up towards the surface.

**Next Chapter: Midna Returns**


	12. Chapter 12: Midna Returns

**Author's Note: This chapter might be a little boring as its mostly dialogue. However it does set the plot in motion so it probably isn't too bad. Anyway enjoy chapter 12!**

Chapter 12: Midna Returns

Link and Zelda resurfaced from the depths of Lake Hylia and swam to the bank. Link and Zelda dried off and removed their Zora armor. Link looked away as both of them changed back into their regular clothes. Zelda then waved her hand and both of their Zora armor disappeared. Link wished that he could do magic like that.

Link took out the Breaker Sword shard and looked at it. It appeared to be the rest of the blade that they were missing. Link saw that they just needed the holder of the blade and they would have the entire sword.

"Well it's about time you two got out of that lake. I thought that you had drowned you were in there so long," said a voice overhead.

Link and Zelda looked up and were astonished to see Midna floating in the air. Link couldn't believe his eyes. Was it really Midna? Link laid eyes on the figure floating above them and realized that it was unmistakably Midna. When Link had gotten over the shock of seeing her, a rush of happiness came over him. His partner over the long journey was back. He thought that he was never going to see her again. Link was speechless as no words could come to his mouth that could put his feelings to light.

The first thing that Link noticed was that she was back in her imp form. However she was exactly the way before with her mix of black and white skin and her strange Twili markings around her arms and legs. Her ears were still in that pointy shape that resembled the Hylians. Her big round red eyes were focused entirely on Link. The only thing missing from her appearance was the big piece of the Fused Shadows that she normally wore on her head. It was missing so her ginger orange hair was completely visible. It wasn't in a ponytail anymore but was straight. Now that it was straight it was down to the end of her head just before her shoulders. It was also the first time that Link had laid eyes on both of her eyes at the same time.

"Midna! How are you back here?" asked Zelda. "And why are you so small again?"

"First off, it doesn't matter that I'm small again. Second of all, I thought you would be glad to see me again," said Midna with a slight frown on her face.

"Of course we're glad you're back. We are just very shocked to see you back. We thought that the only known link between the Light Realm and Twilight Realm was destroyed," explained Zelda.

"Well I guess I should explain myself then," began Midna as she was still floating around in midair above Link and Zelda's heads.

"Well you remember that I destroyed the Mirror of Twilight before I went back into the Twilight Realm. You two should remember because both of you were there. Anyway after I got back into the Twilight Realm, things started returning to normal. I resumed my rule over the Twilight Realm and the people went back to their lives. Everything was fine.

"However, after awhile things started to change. The Twili started to get restless. They began to get tired of my rule over them. They were starting to have doubts as me as a leader. They wanted a powerful leader who wasn't going to desert them in times of need like I did. I wondered why it took them so long to start to resent me but then I reasoned that they were just happy to be leading normal lives again that they didn't really worry about who was ruling them. However once things were completely normal again the Twili started desiring better leadership. I guess I can't blame them to be honest. But then it all got worse."

"Worse? How can it get any worse than that?" asked Zelda shocked.

"Ganondorf entered the Twilight Realm. He was just what the Twili wanted. He was powerful, charismatic and a very striking presence. The Twili soon rallied around Ganondorf as their leader. It wasn't long before Ganondorf started going against me. He would have the Twili rally and create riots. The point of these rallies and riots was to show that the people no longer would follow the laws set down by me. The people soon got tired of rallying and rioting however and demanded that Ganondorf do something and take charge. So Ganondorf stormed my castle and overpowered me. He banished me from the castle. While he was in the castle, Ganondorf broke the seals I had on the books of our tribe. He then learned all of the ancient magic of our tribe. He is now truly the King of the Twilight Realm. However that is not the worst of it," explained Midna.

"How can it get any worse than that?" asked Link.

"It wasn't enough that Ganondorf had completely taken over the Twilight Realm. He wants more. He wants to control the Light Realm also. He is currently making plans to invade the Light Realm and take it over so he can control both realms," explained Midna.

"But that leads me to my first question. How did you get here? And how did you return to your smaller form?" asked Zelda.

"I'm getting to that. Anyway, Ganondorf is trying to control the Light Realm and the Twilight Realm. He is currently preparing for war. He has brainwashed the Twili into thinking that the people of the Light Realm are enemies to the Twilight Realm. So now all the Twili have been brainwashed to hate the people of the Light Realm and are being trained in combat for a war," continued Midna.

"But how does Ganondorf plan to get back to the Light Realm when there's no Mirror of Twilight?" asked Zelda.

"I said I'm getting to it. I'm trying to explain the whole story," retorted Midna hotly.

"Ganondorf has plans for construction of a new Mirror of Twilight. The new mirror would work exactly as the old one would the only difference being that it resides in the Twilight Realm not the Light Realm. This would allow him to send his forces over to the Light Realm. However I have taken preparations to try and stop Ganondorf from succeeding. Ganondorf right now has the means to make the structure of the mirror but he doesn't have the magic to make it work. The spell that makes the mirror work was one of the few spells he overlooked when he learned all of my people's ancient magic. I then snuck into Ganondorf's castle and stole the book from him that contains the spell that makes the mirror work. I then hid the book in a secret chamber in my castle that only I know about. I then tried to flee so I could escape Ganondorf's wrath. Ganondorf found out however and was very angry with me. He tracked me down and cast the same spell Zant did and turned me into an imp. He then created a portal and sent me into the Light Realm so he could be rid of me. The magic he obtained from the gods allowed him to make that portal. I know for a fact that the Twili don't have a spell for creating portals to the Light Realm.

"However that was Ganondorf's mistake. Once he created the portal, he didn't bother getting rid of it so it is still there. I guess he didn't think I was that much of a threat so there was no need to try and keep me out. He has also allowed me to come and find you guys to help. With that Master Sword, you can dispatch of Ganondorf!" said Midna excitedly.

"We can't. The Master Sword is now useless against Ganondorf. That is why we are searching for the Breaker Sword," said Link, downtrodden. Midna looked extremely disappointed at this news.

"I have a question Midna. Why are you so worried about Ganondorf if you have sealed the magic book away?" asked a confused Zelda.

"Compared to Ganondorf's magic, mine is rather weak. It will not be long before Ganondorf is able to break the seal and get the magic that is sealed in that book. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if Ganondorf is breaking the seal as we speak," explained Midna in a depressed voice.

"Then we have to stop him!" exclaimed Zelda with a serious face. "Link we have to go into the Twilight Realm and try to put a stop to Ganondorf's plans. Or at least slow them down severely." Link was surprised. He had never seen Zelda with as much determination as she had on her face right now.

"But what about the Breaker Sword? We only have one more piece to get," reminded Link.

"Link you know that this is more important," said Zelda. Link knew that she was right.

"Alright let's go. Midna where is this portal that Ganondorf created?" asked Link.

"It's in Faron Woods. It's to the left of the opening of that cave that leads to Faron Woods," answered Midna.

"Can you take us there?" asked Link.

"Sure. You'll be there in no time," smiled Midna. Link grabbed Zelda's hand as they were transported into the air. Link felt weird as he was transported into the air. He felt like he was going through a transformation. For the short time that he was in the air, he felt more animalistic and wild. Within five seconds they came down in the familiar setting of Ordon Spring. Link had wondered why Midna transported them here and not in Faron Woods. Link looked down at himself and found that he was transformed into a wolf again. He looked at Zelda and saw that she transformed as well. She had transformed into an owl. However once they were safely on the ground, they immediately transformed back into their normal selves.

"Midna, why did we both transform into animals?" asked Zelda.

"Well, you wanted me to transport you from Lake Hylia to Faron Woods. That's a pretty far distance and I couldn't do it myself so I used the portals created by the shadow beasts to travel through. And going through those portals is essentially going into the Twilight and your body will react just as it would had you entered the Twilight. In the case of you two, you transformed," explained Midna.

"I guess that makes sense," said Zelda.

"Well now that we're closer to Faron Woods, I can take you guys there myself," said Midna. She started twirling around and Link and Zelda were once again became little black cubes and were transported into the air. Link and Zelda did not transform this time. When they touched down they were in Faron Woods. Link was glad that the poisonous fog was gone. Link saw that straight ahead there was a dark purple circular portal in the middle of the woods. Link, Zelda and Midna all went to the portal. Link and Zelda stepped inside with Midna not far behind them. When they stepped out, they were in the Twilight Realm.

**Next Chapter: Return to the Twilight Realm**


	13. Chapter 13: Return to the Twilight Realm

**Author's Note: I'm sorry for the long wait time for this chapter. Exams and illness really hindered my writing time. Anyway enjoy chapter 13!**

Chapter 13: Return to the Twilight Realm

Link had been in the Twilight Realm before but this time was totally different. The Twilight Realm that Link laid eyes on now did not resemble the Twilight Realm he remembered from last time. The last time Link was here, the sky was a mix of pink, purple and white. The sky now was now a mix of blood red, dark green and black. It made the entire Twilight Realm seem a lot darker. There was also a wind that was blowing that was not present the last time in this place. The blowing wind felt rather ominous as if bad things were about to happen.

Link looked around at his surroundings. This was not the section of the Twilight Realm that he had been in last time. He, Zelda and Midna appeared to be on the outskirts of a Twilight city. This city reminded Link of Castle Town in the way it was set up. There were streets with street corners and there seemed to be a center point which was like Castle Town square. The major difference though was that this city was easily two to three times bigger than Castle Town.

"What you are looking at right now is the city of Rhuyle. This is essentially our version of Castle Town in the Light Realm. It is the center of the Twilight Realm and houses the castle of our leader. The castle used to be inhabited by me but now it houses Ganondorf," explained Midna as she flew in front of Link and Zelda.

"Then where were we before?" asked Link.

"Zant had used his magic to build a palace in the sky. That's why it seemed so isolated. If you look up you should see it," answered Midna. Link looked above him into the red, green and black sky. Sure enough, he saw very high in the sky the patch of land that was floating overhead.

"Shouldn't we get going?" asked Zelda.

"Yes. Our first destination is towards the far northeastern part of the city. It is an abandoned worship center of my people. But now that Ganondorf has taken over, he has made himself out to be a god and my people are forbidden to gather there to worship anybody but him," said Midna sadly.

Link, Zelda and Midna started walking through the streets of Rhuyle. Link had to admit that he was starting to get freaked out now. The Twilight Realm he had been in before had a serene beauty and this new Twilight Realm did not capture this beauty at all. This new Twilight Realm had a completely evil atmosphere. Link did not feel safe in this place and thought that the sooner they got out of here the better. Link also had the feeling that he was being watched. There were alleys and shadows everywhere that seemed as if they could be hiding anything.

Link, Zelda and Midna had been traveling down a street when they came to a corner. On this corner was a statue of Ganondorf. The statue was larger than life, about ten feet. It appeared to be made of marble. Link stepped closer to it to get a closer look. The statue was crafted to the finest detail, every aspect of Ganondorf's face and body being present. No detail was spared in creating this statue. Link looked around and saw that there was a statue of Ganondorf on every street corner. Each statue looked to be the same, just in different poses. The one that Link stood in front of now had Ganondorf standing upright with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. Link supposed that Ganondorf had really wanted to recreate the Twilight Realm in his image and based on these statues, he succeeded.

Suddenly out of the corner of Link's eye he saw a bright yellow light coming towards them. Link grabbed Zelda and hid behind the statue with her. The light passed right in front of the statue but Link and Zelda were not in its range. The light then moved in a different direction. Link breathed a sigh of relief. He and Zelda came out from behind the statue and looked at the light. The light was moving across the street slowly like a searchlight. Link looked up for the source and saw that atop a large building there was a big searchlight with a Twili manning the light and moving it around. Link looked around the city and noticed that this was not the only one and there were many more scattered all around the city.

"This is a security measure that Ganondorf has installed in Rhuyle. Ganondorf wants to make sure that nobody is conspiring against him. So he installed these searchlights so he can watch the entire city at once. He wants to be in complete control of everything around him," said Midna from behind Link and Zelda.

"That sounds like Ganondorf alright," said Link. Link ducked under the statue again with Zelda doing the same as the searchlight was heading back over towards them. The searchlight didn't reach the statue again and moved away. Link and Zelda emerged from the statue and walked into the intersection. Link looked to his left and saw a Twili standing in the middle of the road.

"Don't let that Twili see you!" yelled Midna. Link and Zelda ran through the intersection and got to the sidewalk in front of them. Midna flew after them and got to the sidewalk as well. The Twili looked around but didn't follow them. It apparently had not seen them. Link breathed another sigh of relief.

"That Twili was looking out for suspicious things that are roaming the streets," explained Midna.

"I think we fit into that category now don't we?" asked Link.

"Yes that is why we must not be seen by any Twili or get caught under a searchlight," said Midna. Link and Zelda nodded. Link, Zelda and Midna started walking down the street again. Link noticed that except for the Twili manning the searchlights and the Twili looking out for strange occurances, this city seemed to be completely deserted. Link was starting to wonder why. This city was huge. Where was everybody? Link supposed that they were in their homes or in another part of the city.

The three of them were halfway down the street when they saw another Twili ahead of them. The Twili was at the end of the street and appeared to have been coming from the left hand side. There was no Ganondorf statue nearby to hide behind this time so Link didn't know what to do. He looked around frantically and saw a big patch of shadows to the left. Link led Zelda and Midna to the shadows and they waited there. The Twili came down the road slowly. Link was careful not to make a sound as it slowly walked closer.

The Twili was right in front of them as it looked right at them. Link's hand slowly went to the hilt of his sword, just in case. It was then that Link got a close look at its face. It looked like a wild animal. It had the same features as the regular Twili such as the black and green skin with a white patch around its face however it had bloodshot eyes and wild hair. It also had more animalistic pointy teeth than usual. Link almost gasped but stopped himself

The Twili continued to stare right where Link was. However after about three minutes, the Twili looked ahead and started to walk away. Link relaxed and looked after the Twili. The Twili walked all the way to the end of the street and made a right turn at the corner and was out of sight.

"That was close. I thought that Twili was going to spot us," said Zelda.

"Yeah. I guess the shadows were so dark that he couldn't see us," said Link.

"Well let's get going," said Midna.

The three of them continued their trek up the street and they came to the street corner. Link looked down both sides of the street. There were no Twili and no searchlights. They had three possible ways they could be going, left, right or straight ahead.

"Midna which way is the temple?" asked Link.

"We need to go right. The temple is still about three blocks away so we have a while to go," answered Midna.

The three of them turned right and walked along the road. When they came to the end of the block, they were standing next to a Ganondorf statue. This statue had Ganondorf kneeling down and spreading his cape.

Suddenly, from the street to the right of them, Link saw a searchlight coming this way. Also from straight ahead there was another Twili coming straight towards them. Link, Zelda and Midna hid behind the Ganondorf statue. The Twili walked by and did not even look at them. Link almost stepped out from behind the statue when the searchlight came from the right side of Link's vision. Link quickly dived back behind the statue just before the searchlight caught him. Link looked back from behind the statue and saw that the searchlight was all the way at the other end of the street. Link, Zelda and Midna got out from behind the statue and started walking again. The temple was coming into better view now.

The next street they went down was free of any wandering Twili or searchlights. They quickly traversed this street and came to another one. This street had two Twilis standing at the end of the street. Link, Zelda and Midna were right in the middle of the street and were right in the sight-range of the Twili however the Twili weren't facing them. There were shadows on either side of the street that were dark enough to hide in so Link and Midna went to the shadows on the left and Zelda went to the shadows on the right.

The Twili then looked around. They apparently had heard footsteps. They started slowly walking towards where the three of them were. They were about half way towards them when they switched course and started walking to where Zelda was. Link slowly took out his bow and took aim at the Twili. Midna then grabbed Link's shoulder.

"What are you doing?" askedwhispered Midna in outcry.

"We can't let them capture Zelda! If they get too close I'm going to shoot them," whispered Link back determinedly.

"I guess so," said Midna. She was uncomfortable with the idea of shooting her people but had to deal with it.

Link kept hold of the arrow and aimed. The Twili advanced on Zelda. Link could see Zelda hold in her breath. The Twili were about two feet from Zelda when they turned around and walked along towards the end of the street and out of sight. Obviously they couldn't see Zelda and had been satisfied with what they saw and had left. Zelda breathed a sigh of relief and she, Link and Midna slowly walked out of the shadows. When they were sure that there were no other Twili around, they walked towards the streets and turned right.

In front of them was the temple that Midna had been talking about. It was the size of a huge cathedral. It was a dark greenish color and appeared to be very old. In front of it there were many steps that led to two large black doors. There were no windows in the temple however there were several glass paintings of Twili. In front of the temple there were about ten Twili all stationed around it with four searchlights roaming around it.

"Why is there so much protection around this place?" asked Link.

"I'm not sure. Maybe Ganondorf knows we're here and heading over there?" asked Midna with a worried look on her face.

"Maybe. But we can't let that stop us from getting in there. We need a plan," said Zelda.

Link nodded and led Zelda and Midna to some shadows that were present next to the building that stood close to the temple. These shadows were dark enough to hide them as several of the Twili looked right at them but didn't do anything. The searchlights also came dangerously close to them but never engulfed them. Link now had to think of a way to get those Twili away from the temple without them seeing him.

Link knew that he, Zelda and Midna had no chance of sneaking by them without being spotted so Link would have to come up with some sort of diversion. He would have to get the Twili to move away from their spots by themselves. After several minutes of thinking, the solution suddenly came to Link. He pulled out his bow and formed a bomb arrow.

"What're you going to do?" asked Zelda.

"Just watch," said Link, grinning. Link then took aim at a building that was far away from the temple. He shot the bomb arrow at the building and made it a huge explosion. The Twili looked up and started running towards the building that was struck and the searchlights all focused on the building. Link, Zelda and Midna used this opportunity to sprint across the street and up to the temple. The three of them raced up the stairs and came to the two huge doors. Link quickly opened the door on the right and the three of them quickly went inside the temple.

**Next Chapter: The Twilight Temple**


	14. Chapter 14: The Twilight Temple

**Author's Note: Here is the latest chapter. This chapter was actually finished about a week ago but I didn't have access to the internet to upload it as a virus infected my computer and I couldn't get on the internet. To make up for it, chapter 15 will be posted in the next couple of days. Meanwhile, enjoy chapter 14!**

Chapter 14: The Twilight Temple

Link, Zelda and Midna had arrived in the temple. Link closed the door behind them and the sound of it closing echoed tremendously in the room. Link's heart jolted but he then calmed himself down as he looked and saw that there was nobody in this room. The room they were in was very dark, the only light coming from two dimly-lit torches that were lit on the left and right walls. The walls appeared to be made of a blackish metal. There were light blue and pinkish lines all over the walls. The markings appeared to be identical to the Twilight Palace he had been in before. There were no windows and this in combination with the fact that the room was very small made Link feel oddly trapped inside. This room was very small. There was a short hallway that led to another room. It was so dark, Link couldn't see the other room but it looked like it was a lot bigger.

"It's so dark. I can barely see the hand in front of my face," remarked Zelda as she held up her hand and spread her fingers out in front of her face.

"It may be dark, but that works to our advantage. We don't know if anything is in here so if there is, it will be a lot harder for them to see us," said Link.

"I guess you're right. Well let's go through this hallway," said Zelda.

The three of them started walking near the hallway. Their footsteps echoed loudly in the empty room but no one was around to hear them. When the three of them arrived in the next room, they saw that it was indeed a lot bigger than the previous room. It looked like a gathering center. There were rows of pues on both sides of the room and in the center of the room there was a space in between the pues that someone could walk through. At the end of the room, the floor was elevated with two stairs marking where the elevation began. On this elevated floor, there stood an altar with a big chair in back of it. The chair had a huge back supporter and looked like a throne. In the four corners of the room, there was a lever. Link supposed that these levers were not here by accident and that they had to be pulled down but decided to ask Midna just to be sure.

"Midna, why are there levers in the four corners of the room? Do we have to pull them to make something open?" asked Link.

"Very good Link. However it's not that simple. We can't just pull them down randomly; there is a specific order in which we need to do it. Once we do, a door to the second floor will be revealed," smiled Midna.

"Well what's the order then?" asked Link.

"I...Uh...I forget," stuttered Midna.

"You forget? We need that order! Try and remember Midna," pleaded Zelda.

"Let me think. Wait a minute! I don't remember the exact order but I do remember where I wrote it down. I carved the order of hitting them on the back of the chair behind the altar," explained Midna.

"Ok then let's go over there," said Link.

The three of them walked across the room between the pues and quickly came up to the altar. Link went behind the altar and looked at the back of the chair. Carved into the back of the chair was a rectangle with the numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4 etched in each corner. The number one was in the northwest corner, two was in the southeast, three was in the southwest and four was in the northeast corner. Link supposed that this was the order. Now assuming that this was based on the entrance to the room, the one to Link's right was the first one he had to pull down. Link walked over to the lever and pulled it down. It instantly sprung back up. This confused Link, as this was the first one he had to pull down.

However, an idea struck Link. What if the drawing was not based on when you enter the room but on your vision from the altar? Link went back to the altar and looked at the chair drawing again. According to the map, the one he had to pull down first was the one to the far left side of the room from where Link was standing now.

Link walked along the walkway and went towards the lever on the left hand side. He pulled this one down and unlike the other one, did not come back up. Link's hypothesis turned out to be correct.

"Zelda I need you to pull down the lever on your right hand side. And Midna after she pulls that one down, I need you to pull down the one on your left hand side. Understand?" shouted Link across the room. Zelda and Midna both gave the thumbs up sign to show that they understood. Zelda then walked over to her right hand side and when she got to the lever, she pulled it down. Once she did this, Midna flew over to the lever on her left hand side and pulled that one down. Now the only one left was the one to Link's left so he jogged over and pulled it down.

Suddenly there was a loud rumbling sound from behind the chair next to the altar. The wall moved to the left, revealing a staircase. Link jogged back to rejoin Zelda and Midna at the altar and began looking at the staircase. At the top of the staircase there was a door.

"This staircase leads to the second floor of this temple. It is not allowed to be viewed by the public and is only used for wedding receptions. However there hasn't been a wedding here in a long time so it's been out of use for awhile," explained Midna.

"Why is it so private?" asked Zelda.

"It's mainly to prevent people who weren't invited to the wedding from showing up to the reception and eating all the food," chuckled Midna.

"Really?" asked Link.

"Yeah really. Weddings are serious business in the Twilight Realm. But can we stop talking about weddings? We need to proceed," said Midna.

The three of them walked up the staircase and came to the door. Zelda led the way and opened the door. When they came to the room, they saw that it wasn't that big a room but it was wide. There were many circular tables scattered around the room that all had table cloths over them. Other than these tables, there was nothing else in this room.

"Midna, there's nothing in this room. Where is this thing we're looking for?" asked Link.

"Just wait a second. Go over to the wall in the far back of the room and I'll show you something," said Midna, grinning.

Link was confused but did as he was told. He and Zelda both went to the back wall. Midna then flew over to them and twirled her hand. Instantaneously, a switch appeared on the back wall. It appeared to have been concealed. Midna then pressed it and three orbs appeared on three tables. The orbs were purple and looked as if they needed to be hit to activate.

"Now hit those three orbs with your Gale Boomerang. Once you do, we'll be able to proceed," commanded Midna.

Link abliged and took out his Gale Boomerang. He aimed it at the three orbs and let it fly. The Gale Boomerang flew towards each one of them and as it flew by, brushed against each one. After it hit each one, they turned green. After doing its job, it came back and Link caught it in his hand. Link waited in anticipation for something to happen and his attention was drawn to his left hand side as the wall was starting to come down. When the wall finally came all the way down, a door was revealed. Link walked over to it and opened it. He, Zelda and Midna all went inside the door.

They were in a very small room. It was rectangularly shaped and very dark just as the rest of the temple was. At the very end of the room was a chest. Link walked over to it and opened it. Inside was a silver key. Link took it out and put it in his pocket.

"What does this key open? There's nothing left in this temple," asked Link.

"This key opens up another temple. In the center of Rhuyle is a tower that is locked. This key opens it. It is there that we have to go next," explained Midna.

"Why are we going there if the ancient book of magic is locked away in Ganondorf's castle?" asked Zelda.

"In that tower is another key. It is that key that opens up Ganondorf's castle. When Ganondorf went out of his castle, I locked it with a magical gate that only that key can open. I then hid that key in he tower and locked that tower with another key. I then hid that key here. So in order for Ganondorf to ever get back in his castle he would have to waste a lot of time finding the keys. The tower is filled with all sorts of traps and puzzles designed by me so I doubt that Ganondorf would be able to find the keys without spending a lot of time," explained Midna.

"Wow Midna, I'm impressed. That was very smart of you," said Zelda.

"Thanks Zelda. Anyway, we should get going," said Midna.

The three of them left the room and were back in the wedding reception room. The three of them were walking towards the door at the end of the room when Link saw and heard something that made his heart stop. The door was turning and starting to open and Link heard voices.

Link grabbed Zelda and Midna and led them under a table. From underneath the table, Link could hear the door open and footsteps come in. It sounded like there were at least three things in the room with them. Link chanced a look and revealed his head from underneath the tablecloth.

Inside the room were three Twili. They appeared to be talking about something. Link strained his ears and tried to listen.

"This is the place isn't it?" said the one on the left.

"Yes Ruther, this is the place. It should be around here somewhere," said the one in the center.

"Ganondorf will be pleased when he sees that we got the book for him," the one called Ruther said.

"Those idiots! They actually think the book is here," laughed Midna with a huge smile on his face.

"Shush! I'm trying to listen to what they're saying," said Link. He put his head out underneath the tablecloth again and tried to listen.

"Look Ruther! The door has been revealed! It looks like they've been here already," said the one who hadn't spoken.

"I guess you're right Landle. It looks like they have arrived in the Twilight Realm. We need to inform Ganondorf of this," said the Twili who had spoken earlier.

Link's mind was racing. These Twili were going to inform Ganondorf that they were here. Their cover would be blown. Link turned to Midna.

"Midna, we have to stop them from leaving this building. I know you don't want to see your people hurt but I really don't think we have a choice here," said Link.

Midna bit her lip for a second. She seemed torn between the two sides of their predicament. On the one hand, she didn't want to see her people killed or hut, but on the other hand she didn't want Ganondorf to know that they're here.

"Alright. You're right, we have no choice," said Midna begrudgingly.

Link drew his sword from his scabbard and came out from under the table.

"Hey!" yelled Link. The Twili all turned around and were shocked to see Link standing there.

"I can't have you reporting to Ganondorf that me, Zelda and Midna are here. I don't want to do this but you can't be left alive," said Link. The Twili all backed away from Link with their hands up. Link lunged at them and thrust his sword through the chests of all three of them. Blood splattered everywhere as their chests were pierced and they fell to the floor, dead.

Link put his sword back in his scabbard and walked away. He did not like what he had just done, but it had to be done. He led Zelda and Midna to the door. They went through the door and they were back in the room with the altar. They went down the stairs and were close to the pues. Link, Zelda and Midna then started walking through the walkway. They were halfway through when Link held out his hand and had Zelda and Midna stop.

"What is it Link?" asked Zelda.

"Shh! We need to get down into the pues and hide," said Link. He pointed towards the entrance and Link saw that Zelda understood. The three of them went to their left and knelt down in a pue. Link then stood up and tried to get a look. Out of the shadows of the room up ahead came six figures. As they came in the room, Link saw that they too were Twili. These Twili were bigger and looked to be stronger than the three that Link had slain in the room above.

"What is taking them so long? It shouldn't take them this long to get a lousy book," said the biggest one.

"Maybe they forgot the spell that Ganondorf told us that unlocks the room," said another.

"We should have just done the job ourselves. We shouldn't have let those idiots do it. It'd be much quicker that way," said a third.

Link beckoned Zelda and Midna to follow him to the outside of the pue. The three of them began crawling. As they were crawling, Link bumped his knee against the side of the pue. Link grabbed his leg in pain as he tried to scramble to the outside of the pue. The six Twili stopped walking and listened.

"What was that? Did you hear something?" asked the biggest one again.

"It sounded like a thump," said another.

"It sounded like it was coming from the pues over there," said a third. The Twili started walking towards the pues. Link, Zelda and Midna started scrambling towards the front of the room as quietly as they could. By the time the Twili got to where they were before, Link, Zelda and Midna were behind the back row pue and out of the sight-range of the Twili.

"There's nothing over here. It must have been your imagination," said a Twili.

"We should go upstairs and check on Ruther, Landle and Aros," said another Twili. The Twili walked back to the center of the walkway and continued to make their way towards the altar. Link waited until they were safely out of sight to move from behind the pue.

"That was close. Those Twili almost saw us," said Zelda.

"Yes. That was much too close for comfort," agreed Midna.

"We need to get out of here fast. Those Twili are going to notice the three Twili dead on the ground and are going to go notify the others. We need to be long gone by then," said Link. The other two nodded their heads. Link led them to the entrance to the temple. Link was not looking forward to what was going to happen after those Twili discovered the dead Twili. However they had more important issues right now. They needed to get to the Twilight Tower.

Next Chapter: An Unexpected Detour


	15. Chapter 15: An Unexpected Detour

**Author's Note: Ok so this chapter took a lot longer to write than I thought it would. I had to do a lot of editing and changing things around because some of the things I said didn't make sense. Anyways, enjoy chapter 15!**

Chapter 15: An Unexpected Detour

Link, Zelda and Midna came out of the temple. Link took out the key that they had found and looked at it. It was a grayish key and looked to be very old. There were spots that were starting to rust and the gray was fading into white. Link put it away and the three of them started walking towards the street.

Out of the corner of his eye, Link saw a searchlight coming straight towards them. The three of them carefully avoided it and continued on their way. Link couldn't tell if he was imagining it or not but it seemed like there were fewer searchlights and fewer Twili around than before. Maybe Ganondorf knew they're here? No, Link was just being silly. He would know soon but he, Zelda and Midna had done nothing to notify Ganondorf of their appearance up to this point.

Link suddenly had a very bad feeling. He had a weird feeling in his stomach that just seemed to come out of no where. He then heard the sound of feet rapidly hitting the ground. Turning around he saw two shadow beasts running towards them. They had the familiar shadow beast appearance that Link was acquainted with. They were big black monsters that looked like wolves. They had hair coming down from both halves of their face that made them look even wilder.

One of them leapt right for Link. Link took out his shield and tried to brace himself, but it was too late. The shadow beast landed on top of him and they rolled over with Link and the beast fighting each other. They began punching and scraping at each other. Link couldn't reach his sword so he couldn't get the beast off of him right away. Link then kicked the beast off of him and drew his sword.

Suddenly Link heard a scream. One of the shadow beasts had grabbed Zelda and was running off with her, the other shadow beast right behind him. Link took out his spinner and quickly sped after them. The shadow beasts were surprisingly quick; Link couldn't remember them being this quick. He sped up the spinner to match the speed of the shadow beasts. Once Link had his balance he took out his bow and took aim at the shadow beasts. He couldn't get a good shot as the shadow beasts kept changing direction and he had to constantly swerve to avoid crashing into an object. Along the way, Link went in the eyesight of a couple Twili and was captured by some searchlights but right now he did not care. He needed to save Zelda.

Link tried to take aim at the shadow beasts again but almost lost his balance and was forced to grab onto the lever of the spinner. The shadow beasts turned a corner with Link right behind them. Link and the shadow beasts sped up for a while longer when Link saw the shadow beasts both jump down a sewer. Link jumped off his spinner and fell down the sewer as well.

Link landed with a splash in the water of the sewer. He saw the shadow beasts to his right so he waded through the water to try and catch up to them. The sewer was very dark and narrow so it was hard to navigate with all the water flowing in the opposite direction Link was going.

Link could barely see the shadow beasts in front of him so he had to hurry to keep up. The sewer kept going straight so it was easy to keep the shadow beasts in his sight. After Link had traveled a few hundred feet, the water started to get shallower so Link could run faster. Link sped up in hopes to catch them and as a result he tripped and fell face down in the water. Link hit the floor below with a thud but quickly got back up. However those few seconds lost had been crucial and he could no longer see the shadow beasts. He had no choice but to go further however so that was the way he went.

After a while, the water came to an end. Link passed a giant whole in the ceiling where all the water was coming through. He came to an elevated platform and quickly got up. He was now on solid ground and was faced with three tunnels. There was one to the right, one to the left and one to the middle. Link had no idea which tunnel was the one he should take.

Suddenly, the Triforce mark on Link's left hand started glowing. Link was shocked. He supposed it was trying to tell him which way to go. Link started walking towards the tunnel on the right. As soon as he got inside, his Triforce piece stopped glowing. Link deduced that this was the wrong passage so he went back out into the previous room. His Triforce piece immediately started glowing again. Link went towards the tunnel in the middle this time. As soon as he got inside, his Triforce piece stopped glowing. Link deduced that once more, he had taken the wrong tunnel. He cursed himself for allowing the shadow beasts to get so far ahead and went out into the room again. His Triforce piece started glowing again.

Link now knew that the tunnel on the left was the right tunnel so that was the one he took. The tunnel was pitch black dark as well. The only light was the light from the glowing Triforce piece on Link's left hand. The light was not that bright and Link could only see a few feet in front of him. Link needed more light so he pulled out his lantern and now the tunnel was illuminated more. Link could see the walls and about ten feet in front of him. The walls were high up and were a deep black color just as the rest of the tunnel was. Link started walking forward and with each step he took, the more he could see in front of him. Link looked and could see no end to the tunnel in sight, only pitch black ahead. The tunnel seemed to keep go on for a long time.

Suddenly Link heard something scurrying on the ground close by but he couldn't see anything. His heart jolted as he realized that it could be ghost mice. He couldn't see ghost mice so he wouldn't know when they came for him.

"Midna," called Link and his voice echoed throughout the tunnel like a boom. "Do you still have that piece of twilight that turns me into a wolf that Zant used on me?"

"Sorry, no. After I returned to the Twilight Realm, I destroyed it. I couldn't think of a situation where I would need it," said Midna apologetically.

"It's alright," said Link. So he couldn't turn into a wolf. He would have to pray that the ghost mice wouldn't come for him.

His prayers went unanswered however as within seconds he felt something crawling on him. It was a ghost mouse and Link couldn't get it off. It was crawling all along his body and began biting him. Link swatted his hand at where he thought it was but it was no good. Another ghost mouse jumped on him and started crawling on him. Link was frantically trying to swat the ghost mice crawling on him and in the process dropped his lantern to the floor. The lantern stayed intact but the light went out in a second. Link now could barely see himself and it was tough to try and get the ghost mice. He winced in pain as another ghost mouse bit him.

"Link would you get those mice off of you already? Zelda needs us to save her!" yelled Midna as she flew out from under Link.

"You think I'm enjoying this? I can't see them!" yelled Link back furiously as another mouse hit him.

"Just spin around like you used to do as a wolf," said Midna rolling her eyes.

Link did just that and felt the mice get off of him. Link was expecting them to come back but he heard them scuttle away. Link breathed a sigh of relief as he was now free of the ghost mice. However he had a bigger problem now. He no longer had light in his lantern so he wouldn't be able to see very far. Link picked up his lantern, put it away and started walking ahead. Now Link only had the light from his glowing Triforce piece to guide him. Link started walking very slowly ahead as he was careful not to make much sound and attract any ghost mice.

"Look. The tunnel is coming to an end," said Midna from right next to Link. Even with the little glow from his Triforce piece, Link could see that she was right. Link approached the end of the tunnel and was greeted with a small room. The room was barely bigger than Link himself as it was about seven feet tall and about ten feet wide. Just in front of him, Link saw that there was another tunnel ahead of him.

Suddenly, Link heard the ceiling crack and instantly ran for the tunnel. He heard a huge thud and looking back, he saw that the ceiling had collapsed and it was impossible to get back through the way they had come. There was no choice but to keep going. His Triforce piece suddenly started glowing more brightly so Link figured that he was getting closer to Zelda. With the additional light, Link could now see the same amount ahead of him as he could with his lantern. This tunnel was a lot smaller than the last one but Link still had plenty of room to move around.

After Link had gone about twenty feet in, his Triforce piece started glowing bright white and the whole tunnel was illuminated. Link had to shield his eyes for a couple of seconds but then got used to the light. Link had no idea what was the cause for this but that question was answered as he saw a figure come towards him from up ahead. As the figure got closer, he saw that it was Zelda running towards him. Link saw that Zelda's Triforce piece was glowing just as bright as his was. As Zelda got closer to Link, Link was astounded to see that she had not a scratch on her. When Zelda reached Link, both of their Triforce pieces stopped glowing. It was now pitch black again.

"Link! I'm so glad I found you! I just managed to get away from the shadow beasts," panted Zelda.

"How did you get away so cleanly?" asked Link. Link drew his sword because he had a hunch that the shadow beasts would come back looking for Zelda.

"When they were carrying me through the sewer they had me gripped so tight, I couldn't move my arms to get free. But as they were carrying me through this very tunnel, I was able to slip from their grasps and hit them with my magic so I could make my escape. I think they are going to come back so let us go back through this tunnel. Quickly before they catch up!" pleaded Zelda.

"We can't. The room before this tunnel collapsed. We have no choice but to keep going forward," answered Link. Zelda looked crestfallen.

"What are you two worried about? Link can handle those shadow beasts. Link, you're forgetting that when we were here last time your sword was charged with the power of the sols. You should be able to crush those shadow beasts," said an exasperated Midna. Link almost jumped. Midna had been floating behind Link so quietly and had not said a word that he had almost forgotten that Midna was there.

"I guess you're right," said Link.

Link, Zelda and Midna went forward through the tunnel. The tunnel lasted forever and in the pitch black darkness, it seemed to be much longer than it felt.

"Zelda I need to ask you something," said Link suddenly, breaking the silence. "Do you know why my Triforce started glowing after I had been separated from you?"

"Yes, it is a hidden power of the Triforce. You and I had been together for such a long time, that our Triforce parts have developed a strong bond with one another. Once we were separated, that bond was in danger of being broken so the Triforce parts started glowing when you were on the right track in finding me. The Triforce was subtly trying to help you find me," explained Zelda smiling.

"Wow, I didn't know they could do that," said Link. But Link suddenly was brought back to a memory he had. The night Zelda arrived at his house, Link had been awoken in the middle of the night by his Triforce piece glowing. Link had made nothing of it and assumed that it was due to his dream about Ganondorf. Link now learned that he was obviously wrong in that assessment. Could that have been his and Zelda's Triforce pieces forming their bond? No, Link thought, he and Zelda hadn't been together long enough for that to happen. Maybe the Triforce parts were merely acknowledging their presence together and the bond was starting to grow?

The three of them started walking through the tunnel again. Link, Zelda and Midna seemed to have been traveling for half an hour when they finally started to see a light at the end of the tunnel. The light was faint but it was a signal that they were almost out of this sewer. They traversed on and little by little, the light got brighter. In the back of Link's mind, he was surprised that the shadow beasts had not come after them yet. He still kept his sword at the ready just in case. After about another twenty minutes they came to where the bright light was. They arrived in a room where the light was coming from up above from an open sewer manhole. The manhole was too high for them to it so they had to find another way to get out. Up ahead, there was another tunnel. Link groaned. He was getting really tired of traveling through all these tunnels. For a second he wondered, if he had taken one of those two other tunnels where he would be now and how lost he would be. For the first time in awhile, he was glad that he was chosen to bear the Triforce of Courage.

Suddenly, Link heard rapidly approaching footsteps. It was the same footsteps he had heard when the shadow beasts had first captured Zelda. Link gripped his sword tighter and prepared for battle. He saw the silhouettes of the shadow beasts in the distance. Once they were within fifteen feet of Link, the two of them jumped, one after the other. Link quickly took out his sword and blocked the first shadow beast's blow. He then rolled to the side, causing the second shadow to miss and strike the ground, making it vulnerable. Link quickly thrust his sword through the shadow beast on the ground. The shadow beast then dropped to the ground, dead.

The second shadow beast got to his feet and prepared a second jump at Link. Link charged at the shadow beast with his sword at the same time the shadow beast jumped. This caused the shadow beast to overshoot Link and hit the floor. Link spun around and lunged at the shadow beast with his sword. He struck the sword through the shadow beast's head and it too became lifeless. Link then put his sword back in his scabbard.

"Wow Link, you sure made quick work of those shadow beasts," said Zelda, impressed.

"Thanks Zelda," thanked Link.

"See? Didn't I tell you? You'd be fine. Now can we please move on? I want to get out of this place!" said a rather annoyed Midna. Link and Zelda both nodded and prepared to move forward.

Link, Zelda and Midna crossed over to the entrance to the tunnel. The tunnel was just the same as the other tunnels however it was very short. In less than a minute, the three of them were in another room. This room was enormous. It was at least twice the size of the other tunnels. It looked to be the central room of the whole sewer. Inside this room, there were five different passageways. There was one straight ahead, two to the left and two to the right. The centermost one was bigger than the other ones.

"What do you guys think? Do you think we should take the centermost one?" asked Link.

"That's what I was thinking," answered Zelda.

"Definitely," replied Midna.

Link, Zelda and Midna walked over towards the centermost tunnel. When they got to the tunnel, they noticed there was a sign to the right of it. Link tried to read the sign but it wasn't legible. The writing on the sign was so faded that it was impossible to read it. Link, Zelda and Midna went on anyway. This tunnel was very wide but was the same as the other tunnels in the fact that the walls were all black and there was no light at all. Link, Zelda and Midna traveled through the darkness for awhile but the tunnel seemed to have no end. After traveling what seemed to be an hour, they came to a big circular room. This room had a high ceiling and was lit by torches on the walls. The walls were a shiny black color. There was another room straight ahead of them but there were iron bars preventing them from going any further. Link didn't think that the bars looked very sturdy. The room they were in now was empty except for a ladder against the wall. Link's heart leapt; now they would be able to get to the manhole at the top of the room where they had seen it.

Suddenly, Link heard a crash come from the room with the bars. The bars had been blown away by something. Link then heard a roar and a monstrous figure came in view. It looked like a mix between a shadow beast and a dragon. It had wings like a dragon but a head and body like a shadow beast. It was bipedal and stood about ten feet high. It roared again and flew up in the air. Link drew his sword.

"Zelda! Get behind me!" yelled Link. Zelda ran behind Link as Link prepared to strike at the creature.

Link was about to charge when the creature spit fire. Link barely got his shield in front of him to protect him and Zelda from the fire. This was something that he would have to be concerned with as he tried to tackle this creature. Link quickly charged at the creature with his sword. The creature swung its tail at Link and knocked him back. Link clutched his stomach in pain as he had the wind knocked out of him. The shadow dragon fired fire out of its mouth again and Link just barely rolled away from the fire. The room was starting to get on fire now but Zelda put it out with magic. Link began slowly circling around the shadow dragon, waiting for it to make a move. The shadow dragon then charged down at Link. Link dodged and jumped on the shadow dragon's back. But before he could strike it with his sword the shadow dragon slashed its tail and knocked Link off his back. Link flew through the air and when he came down, the Master Sword flew out of his hand and landed with a thud about twenty feet away. Link ran over to it and at the same time the shadow dragon started spitting fire again. Link quickly ran to the sword, grabbed it and rolled away all in one motion just in the nick of time. He had just avoided getting hit with fire. Link was really starting to get annoyed now. Every time he gets close the dragon hits him with his tail.

Link then got an idea. If he couldn't hit the dragon up close, he should then attack from far away. He put away his sword and took out his bow. He then took a bomb and attached it to the arrow, making a bomb arrow. The shadow dragon was preparing to spit fire. Link quickly took aim and shot the bomb arrow at the shadow dragon's mouth just before the fire came out and a huge explosion ensued. When the smoke cleared, Link saw that the shadow dragon had lost its head and was now lying on the ground, dead. Link breathed a sigh of relief and slowly walked over to the shadow dragon. Just in case it got up, he took out his sword and sliced its body in half. He had faced too many enemies that appeared dead only to come back alive.

"I think I know what that sign was trying to tell us," said Midna.

Zelda came running over to Link.

"Link that was amazing! You were so brave taking on that thing," praised Zelda. Link blushed.

"Doesn't matter. We have to get that ladder over to the other room," said Link trying to change the subject.

"I can take care of that," said Midna and she then raised the ladder in the air and followed Link and Zelda back through the tunnel. Going back felt a lot shorter than coming through the first time and in what felt like no time, they were back in the room with the five passageways. Link, Zelda and Midna went through the passageway and within minutes were back in the room with the manhole. Midna brought the ladder up and rested the top of the ladder on the top of the manhole. Link got on and climbed up. They were now back in Rhuyle. Link was glad that he was now out of that sewer. Link looked around and saw that they were very close to the Twilight Tower. They started walking towards it and within minutes they were right outside. Along the way they had encountered no Twili in the streets and no searchlights. This worried Link but he brushed it aside.

The Twilight Tower had two twin doors with big metal bars. In front of the Twilight Tower was a big, black gate. Link took out the key and the gate opened as soon as the key was in the keyhole. Zelda and Midna all looked at each other and went through the doors and were inside.

**Next Chapter: Inside the Twilight Tower**


	16. Chapter 16: The Twilight Tower

**Author's Note: I'm very sorry for the long time this took to get up. I've been very busy these past few months with school and other activites. However now that I'm done with school, I can spend more time reading. So enjoy the long awaited chapter 16. In case you forgot, Link, Zelda and Midna are about to tackle the Twilight Tower. I won't say much about this chapter but I will find out how many pokemon fans I have as readers from it. Enjoy!**

Chapter 16: The Twilight Tower

The three of them were now inside the Twilight Tower. The Twilight Tower was very similar to the Twilight Temple as it was very dark. They were in a circular room with walls made of stone. There were no windows and that only helped amplify the feeling of isolation that Link felt when he walked inside this tower. The room they were in was completely empty except for a staircase at the end of the room.

"We need to go up those stairs. This tower has seven floors. There's this floor, five more floors and a boss floor at the end. On each floor, there is a puzzle that needs to be solved to advance to the next floor," explains Midna.

"And you created these puzzles right? So you should know how to solve them?" asked Zelda for confirmation.

"Yes. I created all of the puzzles in this tower so we should be able to get through them fairly easily," confirmed Midna.

While the two of them had been talking, Link, Zelda and Midna reached the stairs. The stairs were part of a spiraling staircase that rapped around the walls of the tower. Link led the way as the three of them climbed the staircase. As Link took each step, the sound of his foot hitting the stone stairs made a deafening sound. The walls were enclosed so much that any sound they made sounded like it was magnified one hundred times louder than normal.

After much climbing, the three of them made it to the top. Link and Zelda rested a minute to give their legs a break. After their break, they walked forward and came to a door. The door was made of stone and had a wooden handle. Link grabbed the handle and led them inside.

They were now inside a large circular room. The room like the room and door before it, was made of stone. The room was empty except for something hanging from the ceiling. It was a handle with a clawshot tile like the ones he had seen in the Lakebed Temple. But the handle was much too high so Link's clawshot would have no shot at reaching those heights.

It was then that Link noticed the structure of the room. It wasn't a square room like the first room but round. There had to be a reason for this. Link scanned the walls and found the solution to his problems. He spotted a spinner track that wrapped around the whole room and slowly but surely twisted up towards the top. Link supposed that he would have to jump off the wall and try and get the clawshot while in in mid-air.

Link took out his spinner and got on. The spinner started to spin as he pulled the lever back and went towards the wall. The spinner stuck in the track and quickly spiraled up the wall. Link timed his jump and then went flying towards the middle of the room. He aimed his clawshot and fired. The clawshot flew towards the target but missed, hitting higher up on the handle. Link went dropping towards the ground and hit the floor with a thud. Link got up a little wobbly as the crash had been rather painful for his legs as they were attached to the spinner. He was going to have to try again.

However he needed Zelda to come with him this time. On his way up towards the handle, he saw a door that was attached to the wall at the very top of the room. Link guessed that the lever revealed a platform so that the door could be reached. Sure enough, when Link strained his eyes, he could make out the faint outline of a clawshot target right above the door.

"Zelda, I need you to grab hold of me while we go up. There's a door at the top that we have to go through and the only way you'll get up there is if you hold onto me," said Link.

"I noticed that. I was about to mention it to you," replied Zelda.

"It's about time that you figured it out Link," said Midna with a sneer. "I would have told you what you needed to do but I didn't want to spoil the surprise."

"Well anyway, let's go," said Link and Zelda grabbed onto Link's back and got onto the spinner. Link pulled the lever of the spinner down and they were off.

They went speeding towards the track and slowly started to rise when they were connected. Link could feel Zelda tighten her grip on his shoulders the farther up they got. As they were spiraling around the room, Link took out his clawshot again and aimed for the clawshot target. He fired and this time the clawshot grabbed the clawshot target perfectly and the two of them were sent flying towards the center of the room. When they got to the center, they felt the handle come down a bit and then a soft rumbling filled the room. Link looked to the door and saw that his guess was right; a platform had crawled out from inside the wall that could be walked upon. They were now dangling from the top of the ceiling about fifty feet high with nothing except the spinner under their feet.

"Don't look down Zelda," said Link with a smile on his face. Zelda didn't obey him and looked down. A look of terror crossed her face and she instantly hid her face in Link's shoulder.

"Will you hurry up and get us back on solid ground again?!" Zelda commanded full of fear. Link was more than happy to fulfill her wish and pulled out his second clawshot. He took aim at the clawshot tile above the door. He shot the clawshot but it missed to the right and it hit the stone hard with a clank and returned to Link.

"My aim must be off today," said Link humorously. Zelda frowned at Link as he aimed again. He aimed as carefully as he could and let the clawshot go. It stuck to the target this time and Link and Zelda were sent flying through the air towards the ceiling above the door. Link didn't want to scare Zelda too much so he gently lowered the two of them onto the platform in front of the door. Midna, who had been watching all of this from the ground floor, flew up towards them and rejoined them at the door.

"That's one out of five puzzles completed," said Link as he opened the door. When the three of them had gone through the door, they were greeted with a staircase almost identical to the one they had climbed up before. Link and Zelda walked up the stairs with Midna floating behind them. Once they reached the top, they were greeted with a door. Link opened the door and led Zeld and Midna inside.

The three of them were now in a very small, dimly lit room, the only light source being a single torch lit hanging from the ceiling. Inside this room was a treasure chest and nothing more. Link walked over towards the treasure chest and opened it. Inside was a small metal rod. It was a creamy color with a red jewel at the top. It was very similar in structure to the Dominion Rod.

"Midna, what is this rod for? What does it do?" asked a befuddled Link.

"That is the Revealance Rod. When you wave it, a mist is given off and anything hidden that is touched by the mist will be revealed. Like the door at the end of this hallway," explained Midna.

Link looked towards the end of the hallway. It was just a wall, no door or anything. Link waved the Revealance Rod and just as Midna said, a silver mist came out that enveloped the wall. Within seconds a door materialized. Link was astonished.

"Wow, this rod will be very useful," exclaimed an estonished Zelda. Midna smiled. Link led Midna and Zelda to the door and the three of them went through it. They were now in a large square-ish room that was dimly lit with the only light source being four lit torches on each wall. The room was empty and there was a door at the end.

Suddenly there was a bright, blinding white light. Link and Zelda had to shield their eyes, the light was so bright. Link opened his eyes and saw that nothing had changed. Link then looked at Midna and saw that her pupils had disappeared. This disappearance only lasted a few seconds however and soon Midna was back to normal.

"What was that blinding light about Midna?" asked Link.

"It's a security precaution. Anyone that's been in this tower before will be exposed to this blinding light and will instantly forget everything about it, puzzles, design, where things are, everything. I created it so if I was ever captured and was forced to lead Ganondorf through these puzzles, I wouldn't know what to do and that would make Ganondorf waste some of his time. However the one downside is that it works on me so now I can't help you with the puzzles as I'm just as clueless as you are," explained Midna.

"I see. Pretty ingenious. Midna, I must say, your ability to plan ahead has simply amazed me so far," praised Zelda.

"Thank you Zelda. Well shall we go on?" asked Midna. Link and Zelda both nodded and turned their attention to the seemingly empty room before them.

Link decided to test the waters and stepped forward when he heard something whiz passed his face. He looked but there was nothing to be seen. He waved the Revealance Rod and when the mist cleared, there was a huge axe swinging back and forth from a piece of rope attached to the ceiling. Link couldn't see anyway he was going to be able to able to get passed this axe as it was swinging back and forth much too fast.

"Link, look at what it's hanging from. Maybe there's a way to cut it down?" proposed Zelda. Link looked up at the rope it was hanging from. It looked like his hatchet could easily cut down that rope. After taking a look at the ceiling of the room, there was a beam that stretched along the entire room. Link took out his clawshot and aimed it at the beam. It went flying through the air and wrapped itself around the beam allowing Link to be sent flying through the air towards it. He was now hanging from the ceiling but he was a little too far away from the rope. He tried swinging back and forth from the clawshot to give himself some momentum. He slowly started rocking towards the rope. He reached out his legs in an attempt to catch onto the rope. It was no good as he was still too far from the rope. Link threw his back into each of the swings, backwards and forwards, trying to get more distance from the rocking clawshot.

Finally after about five minutes of rocking forwards and backwards, Link was able to grasp the rope with his feet. Link brought the rope closer to him and took out his hatchet. He started cutting at the rope in hopes of cutting it down from the ceiling. The rope cut easily and the axe was sent dropping to the ground. It hit the ground with a thud and became motionless. Pleased with his success, Link lowered himself to the ground.

"Thanks for the clue Zelda. I would have never thought to look at the rope and try and cut it down. I would've stupidly tried to get passed it before it struck me," said an appreciative Link.

"Hey, what use would I be if I just stood here and let you do all the work? I try and solve these puzzles too," joked Zelda with a smile.

Link, Zelda and Midna started walking towards the door. When they reached halfway across the room, Zelda suddenly fell towards the ground. Link caught her just in time as she was about to plummet through the floor. Her foot was underneath the floor and it looked as if she were about to fall in a hole. Link pulled her up from the floor and helped her to her feet.

"Thanks Link, I was almost lost in the abyss. Why don't you use your rod on the floor?" suggested Zelda.

Link followed suit and took out the Revealance Rod. He waved it at the floor and the silvery mist was expelled from the rod just as before. The mist enveloped the entire floor and after a few seconds, a gigantic pit was exposed. The pit took up almost the entire second half of the floor with only just a little piece of floor still in tact by the door. It was much too big to try and jump across.

"How are we supposed to get across now?" asked a distressed Zelda. Midna flew to the other side and stared at the two of them with an exasperated expression.

"Come on! It's not that hard to figure out! I've figured it out already but I'm not going to tell you!" taunted Midna. Zelda gave Midna a nasty look.

Link looked at the pit and then looked around the room again. His gaze fell on the axe on the floor by the front of the room. Link looked at the pit again and then looked back at the axe. He repeated this several more times until he finally put two and two together. They were supposed to cross the pit on top of the giant axe. Link walked over to the axe and using the power of his power gauntlets, dragged the axe over to the pit. He then moved the axe over the pit until it reached the second side. The axe was just wide enough for Link and Zelda to walk across. Link led the way, walking slowly across the axe until he came to the other side. Zelda was left all alone on the other side of the pit before she too tried to cross the axe. Link could see her face full of fear as she refused to look down. She walked very slowly until she too had reached the door on the other side of the pit. Link opened the door and the three of them went inside.

They were now faced with a staircase. This staircase was exactly like the ones they went up before. Link and Zelda walked up the stairs while Midna flew up them. The staircase wound around the tower and housed a door at the top. The staircase was fairly small and in no time, Link, Zelda and Midna came to the door. Link led the way as the three of them went through the door and were now inside another room.

This room was rather small compared to the previous room that the three of them were in. The room was only about fifteen feet long and about fifteen feet wide. Link looked in front of him and was greeted with a giant guillotine. The guillotine took up the entire room and the blade was moving up and down at a furious pace. Link took a step towards the guillotine and leaned forward a bit, concentrating on the blade and seeing if there was a space where he could dive through. Link thought that he saw an opening that he could get through but it closed up in a second and he was left hesitating on whether to go or not. Link was forced to move back however he had just noticed two things about this guillotine.

"Link, there's a couple of things that are odd about this guillotine," called Zelda from the door.

"Yeah, I think I just figured them out myself," Link called back. He started focusing on the guillotine again and noticed two things wrong with it. The first was that the guillotine looked a little transparent, as though it was a ghost. The second was the most interesting however. Link had noticed that when the guillotine's blade was hitting the bottom metal base, the blade made no sound. There was no 'ping' of metal hitting metal that was to be expected if it was a normal guillotine. Based on these two observations, Link observed that this guillotine was an illusion.

Link took out his Revealance Rod and waved it at the guillotine. The familiar silver mist enveloped the guillotine and when it cleared, the guillotine had vanished and there was a clear path to the door. Link put away his rod and took a couple of steps towards the door when he stopped dead in his tracks. He thought he had heard something. Link strained his ears and leaned forward and there was the sound again. Link thought that he heard a faint growling noise coming from the door. Link took out his rod again and waved it at the door. The silver mist enveloped the entire second half of the room and revealed three armored lizardfos. Link drew his sword and shield and prepared for battle while he put the Revealance Rod away.

Link crept towards the lizardfos with his sword drawn in preparation for the lizardfos attacks. The middle lizardfos lunged forward with its sword. Link met the blade with his shield and struck the lizardfos in the head, however the blade merely struck the creature's armor and made a deafening thud. The lizardfos was undamaged as it's armor was made of thick metal and it reared its sword back towards Link. Link met the blade with his own and there was a ping of clashing swords. Seeing the first lizardfos struggling, the other two ran forward to Link to help out. Link thrust his shield towards the first lizardfos, stunning it and then thrust his sword at its face, sending it back towards the wall. The other two lizardfos lunged their swords at Link. Link met the one on the left with his sword and blocked the one on the right with his shield.

Link was now facing all three of them. The first lizardfos that he had disposed of earlier was heading back to the fray and Link had to think fast. Link swiped his sword at the lizardfos on the left's legs, bringing down its feet and sending it crashed to the floor. This bought Link some seconds as he concentrated on the other two. Link blocked their swords and thrusted back, however again, he accomplished nothing with his sword but making a lot of noise as his metal blade crashed against metal armor. The two lizardfos thrust their weapons at Link and he once again blocked them. However the third one, taking advantage of the opportunity, swung his blade at Link's sword and knocked it out of his hand. Defenseless, Link fell back with his shield in hand. Link was faced with more jabs from the lizardfos and the force of all three swords hitting the shield at once forced Link backwards and he lay on the ground.

Out of desperation, Link took out the Revealance Rod and swung it at the lizardfos and the mist that resulted blinded two of them. Link, being unaware that the third one wasn't blinded by the mist, put the Revealance Rod back in his pocket and ran for the Master Sword. The lizardfos got in his way and swung its sword at Link. Link blocked it with his shield and kept running. He pressed the shield against the lizardfos' armor and with all of his strength, pushed against the lizardfos with all his strength, sending it backwards.

Link then got a bright idea and quickly took out his bow. He swiftly made a bomb arrow and shot it at the lizardfos. It hit the lizardfos straight in the chest and the blast destroyed the armor that was covering its body. Link made two more and shot them quickly at the other two lizardfos, blowing off their armor as well. Link then turned to the lizardfos closely to him. It was still knocked on the ground and was not an immediate threat. Link took this opportunity to sprint to his sword that was lying on the ground and pick it up and re-equip himself. The lizardfos he had knocked over had gotten to his feet and was running towards Link. Link thrust his shield out towards it, stunning it and did the helm splitter technique, slicing his sword down his body. The lizardfos was cut in half and was left on the ground, dead.

Link didn't have much time to think however as the other two lizardfos came running towards him. Link thrust his sword at the one on the left, hitting its blade with his and then quickly slicing its stomach, killing it instantly. Link then quickly brought the blade across his body and maimed the lizardfos on his right as his sword cut its head clean off and it fell to the ground, lifeless.

Link put his sword back in its scabbard and looked back towards the door in the front of the room. All while this melee had been happening, Zelda and Midna had been hiding from behind a block that was right next to the door, so as to not alert the lizardfos to their presence. When Link had slain all the lizardfos, they had come out from behind their hiding spot to congratulate Link.

"Link, I am not going to lie. That was the best display of swordsmanship I have ever seen," said Zelda in awe.

"She's right. That was amazing how you never panicked," said an equally awed Midna.

"Well, it wasn't the most graceful of displays but it got the job done," said Link as his face started to get red. Eager to change the subject he asked "Well shall we get going?" Midna and Zelda both nodded and the three of them walked towards the door. Link opened the door and the three of them were faced with another staircase. The three of them traversed the staircase and came to a door, just as with the other staircases. Link opened the door and the three of them were in a large rectangular room. Link couldn't see a door at the end so there was something he had to figure out.

There was a large gaping hole in the wall on the left-hand side of the room. Out of that hole in the wall came three large mice. The mice were very twili-esque in their appearance. They had black skin and green spots all over their body and heads. The three mice looked at Link and started running at him. Link took out his sword and ran towards them as well. Link slashed his sword at the three mice one by one and one by one they fell, dead. Link put his sword away and walked towards where he thought the door leading out of this room should be. Link was about ten feet from the door when his progress was stopped. He pressed his hand out in front of him and was met with a rough surface.

Link took out the Revealance Rod and the rod once again expelled a silver mist as he waved it. The mist enveloped the area Link was in and a giant rock was revealed. Link was about to grab the rock when he heard a cry. Turning around he saw three more mice advancing on Zelda and Midna. Link took out his sword and ran towards Zelda. He stood in front of her with his sword at the ready. The mice kept advancing, forcing Link to advance towards them as well. Link slashed all three of them quickly with his sword and the three of them joined the other three on the ground, dead. Link put his sword away and turned to Zelda and Midna.

"Are you two ok?" asked Link.

"Yes. Those mice came out from that hole in the wall over there," said Zelda pointing. "You should plug up that hole with that rock."

"Will do," said Link and he ran towards the rock. He made to pick it up and, using the power of his power gauntlets, lifted it up and walked with it above his head over to the hole in the wall. Link placed the rock in front of the hole in the wall and the hole was covered up completely. Link looked back to where the rock used to be and saw that as he thought, a door was revealed. What he wasn't expecting was the door to have spikes over it as it did now. He suspected that there was a switch hidden somewhere in this room. He took out the Revealance Rod and waved it expelling silver mist around the entire room. Once the mist cleared, Link looked around the room and saw that nothing had changed, nothing had been revealed. There was a switch somewhere, but it would be tough finding it.

Link started walking around the room looking for clues. He circled the entire room once and didn't find anything suspicious. However on his second trip around the room, he noticed a section of the floor that seemed fragile. He took out a bomb and placed it on the section of floor. As the bomb was preparing to explode, Link ran towards Zelda and Midna to observe. The bomb exploded with a thunderous boom and Link saw a switch revealed. Link walked over to the switch and stepped on it. The bars surrounding the door were gone and something was materializing in front of it. After a few seconds, a chest appeared a few feet in front of the door.

Link, Zelda and Midna walked over to the chest. Link opened the chest and inside was a silver key. Link looked at it for a few seconds and then put it in his pocket and turned to Midna and Zelda.

"A key? What's this for?" asked Link.

"How should I know? Let's just go through the door," suggested Midna.

"Well it's obviously for a door. I agree with Midna that we should go on," said Zelda.

"I guess," said Link.

The three of them walked through the now free door and were greeted with another staircase. They climbed the stairs and were greeted with a door. However the door was padlocked unlike the other ones they had faced so far.

"I guess this is what the key was for," said Link. Midna nodded in agreement.

"Based on what Midna said before, this should be the last puzzle room," said Zelda.

"Exactly. We're getting close," said Link as he nodded in agreement. Link put the key in the padlock and it fell to the floor, freeing the door. Link led Zelda and Midna into the next room. This next room was a simple square room as far as Link could tell. There was a wall at the end of the room with a signpost posted in front of it. Link walked forward towards the sign and Zelda and Midna followed him. The sign read:

"This room is divided into five sections. Each section is blocked off by a wall that will only disappear when the riddle is answered. To answer the riddle, carve your answer into the wall using the Blade of Evil's Bane. Riddle is below."

"What is blue, swims like a fish but talks like a human?"

"Is this riddle serious? It's obviously a zora," said a confused Link.

"Don't forget Link. We're in the world of the twilight right now. So people of the twilight may not know about zoras. Midna designed these riddles with twili in mind. Now go ahead and carve zora into the wall," explained Zelda.

"Ok," sighed Link. Link took out his sword and carved ZORA into the stone of the wall. The wall started to shake and then slowly started to sink until it became part of the floor. The wall revealed another wall further back along with another sign in front of it. Link, Zelda and Midna walked towards the next sign and read it. It read:

"This creature lives high in the mountains and feeds off of rocks. It is very strong but an ounce of water will send it running towards the hills"

"That has to be a goron," deduced Link. Zelda and Midna both nodded and Link walked over to the wall and carved GORON into the stone of the wall. Just as the first two, the wall sunk into the floor, revealing another wall and another sign. Link, Zelda and Midna walked towards the wall and looked at the sign. It read:

"This gentle town gave birth to the Hero of Twilight"

"I think I know the answer to this one," said Link with a smile. Link walked over to the wall and carved out the word ORDON. The wall shook and fell into the wall just as the two before it had. A fourth wall and fourth sign was revealed. Link, Zelda and Midna made their way towards this fourth sign. It read:

"The Princess of Light resides in this town"

"That would be Castle Town correct?" asked Link jokingly.

"Yes it would," said Zelda with a chuckle. Link walked over to the wall and spelt out CASTLE TOWN on the wall. It followed the pattern set by the first three walls and fell to the ground. A fifth and final wall and sign were revealed. Link, Zelda and Midna made their way over to the sign and took a look at the question upon it. It read:

"By the great lake of the light world, there is a house that houses an entertainer. He offers a pleasurable plummet for a modest price. How many steeds are there in his residence?"

"Is this talking about Falbi's Flight by Fowel game? How should I know how many cuccos there are in his house?" complained Link frustratedly.

"I remember. I could never forget that awful place. There were five," said Zelda with a look of disgust on her face.

"Are you sure?" asked Link.

"Quite sure."

Link walked over to the wall with his sword and carved 5 into the wall. The wall remained still for a minute with a dramatic pause and then fell into the ground just as the four before it did.

"Alright! We're almost done with this tower!" exclaimed Zelda.

"I can't wait to get out of this place. I'm tired of this dimly lit abandoned tower," agreed Link. Link led Zelda and Midna to the door that was revealed when the last wall fell down. The three of them went through the door and were once again greeted with a staircase. This staircase was longer than the other ones and it felt a lot more intimidating knowing that this staircase was leading to a boss. The staircase wound around and went on for a long time. After about five minutes of trudging up stairs, a door came in sight. Link and Zelda sped up as Midna flew behind them.

The door that the three of them came up to was bigger than the other ones and made of a different material. While the previous doors had been small and made of stone, this door was large and made of a futuristic metallic substance that looked to be the same substance that the buildings in Rhuyle were made of.

Link was the first one to come to the door. He grabbed the handle and opened it. The three of them were in a large circular room. The room was similar to the room where Link fought Stallord where there was a huge cylindrical pillar in the middle of the room. However it was not as tall as the one where Link faced Stallord in, it was only about fifteen feet tall. It was also a lot wider than the one he faced Stallord on taking up almost the entire room. The walls were made of stone unlike the door which suggested that the door was made recently.

Zelda and Midna stayed where they were as Link walked towards the pillar. There was a ladder against the pillar that went all the way to the top of the pillar. Link got on the ladder and started to make his way up towards the top of the pillar. Link was filled with apprehension because he knew that with every step of the ladder he climbed, he became closer to the boss of this tower. He started to wonder what kind of beast it would be. Link was getting closer to the top now and he had to admit that he was nervous. As Link went to the top and climbed up on top of the giant pillar, he was met with a surprise.

There was nothing on top of this pillar. Link felt that this was very anti-climactic. Link turned his back and faced Midna and Zelda.

"There's nothing up here!" yelled Link.

"Are you sure? I think I see something staring at you!" yelled Zelda back. Link was intrigued by this statement and turned back to the middle of the pillar.

There staring back at him was a monstrous creature. It appeared to be a giant centipede. It had six gray legs as thick as tree trucks that had yellow scab like parts all around them. It's body was grayish and appeared to be scared as there were black marks running all around its legs and body. It had a long neck that was divided into three sections of color with the middle section having red and black stripes going up its neck to its head and the two sides opposite it were gray like the rest of its body. Attached to its neck was what appeared to be a rib cage as there were several bone like structures on the ends of its neck. Connected to its neck were two shadowy, bat-like wings that had red nail like structures at the bottom of the wings. The wings were small in proportion to its body so Link didn't know how it flew. Its head was in the shape of a diamond as it was yellow with a crown like part at the top. The creature had cold red eyes and looked as if it would not hesitate to rip Link in half. It was quite menacing as it stood about fourteen feet tall.

Link took out his sword and got ready to battle this creature. The creature let out a roar and started to shake its wings furiously. Suddenly a huge gust of wind erupted out of nowhere and Link was sent flying back. He tried to stand his ground but it was no use. He was almost sent flying over the edge of the platform but he managed to hold onto the side. He quickly got back up and ran towards the creature. He quickly moved to the right and was quickly out of the creature's line of sight. He charged at the creature and tried to slice it with his sword. The sword hit the creature's legs but didn't cause any damage as its legs were very tough. Link was forced to fall back as the creature turned to face Link again.

The creature then began to howl. Link was confused as to why but then saw with horror what the creature was doing. In the air above them, there was a light and hundreds of flaming meteor-like rocks were falling down towards the platform. Link took cover from behind his shield and felt several rocks hit it with great force. When the creature was done and the meteors stopped, Link stood up again and tried to face the creature.

Link was faced with a dilemma. He couldn't attack the creature with his sword as its skin was much too tough to be cut. If he tried to attack from afar he would just be blown away or be bombarded with meteors. Link really didn't know what to do. His thinking was distracted as the creature was opening its mouth and a blue ball of energy was being formed. The creature fired it at Link who dived out of the way. The ball of energy exploded behind him causing a great flash of light and sound.

"Link, if that creature does that again, try and hit it right back at it!" yelled Zelda. Link gave Zelda a thumbs up to show that he understood. Sure enough as soon as Zelda had yelled this advice, the creature started forming another ball of energy again. Link gripped his sword and was at the ready to deflect it. The creature fired the ball of energy and it came whirling at Link. Link timed his strike perfectly and sent the ball of energy sailing back at the creature. The ball hit the creature square on in the stomach and it almost keeled over in pain. Link could see the creature doubled over in pain with its eyes closed so he figured that the blast had done some damage.

The creature got over this pain quickly and started howling again. Link braced himself for the incoming meteors that were sure to come. Sure enough it started raining meteors and Link hid behind his shield again. The meteors came falling down for about a minute when they finally subsided. Link got out from under his shield just in time to see two balls of energy flying right towards him. He quickly slashed both of them with his shield just in time and sent them flying back towards the creature. They both hit the creature's neck dead on one after the other with a deafening force. The creature keeled over in pain and was motionless. Link put his sword away pleased with himself.

The creature then got up again with a roar of rage. Link took out his sword again and was surprised to see the creature transforming. It's legs started being pulled back into its body. Once it had no legs, several yellow spikes came out from its body and were protruded around its base where its legs used to be. It was now very worm-like in appearance. Its wings were transforming as well. No longer were they bat-like. They had become straighter and had separated into three straight tentacle-like body-parts that looked like smoke. It then started floating and then started flying around Link.

Link was trying to follow its movements however it was too fast. Link lost it and suddenly it came flying towards him from behind. Link was too slow and got rammed by its head. The force sent Link flying towards the wall. Link hit the wall with a thud and then fell towards the floor. Fight through the pain and reacting quickly, Link took out his clawshot and shot it at the creature. The clawshot stuck on one of its spikes and Link was sent flying towards the creature and landed on its back. Link tried to stab it with his sword but he lost his balance and fell off. He fell and hit the platform with a thud. Link quickly got to his feet and took out his bow. He made a bomb arrow and shot it at the creature. The creature didn't get out of the way in time and was sent flying into the ceiling by the bomb arrow. The creature hit the ceiling with such a strong force that combined with the bomb's explosion, shook the whole tower.

The creature pulled itself together and suddenly vanished. Link walked in the middle of the platform looking frantically for the creature while he put his bow away. After about ten seconds that felt like ten minutes, Link heard a whoosh as the creature reappeared in front of him and flew right at him. Link put his shield out in front of him and the creature flew right into it. The force of the creature hitting Link head on sent him flying backwards and almost off the platform but Link held his ground and kept himself from falling off. Link quickly turned around and saw the creature preparing another energy ball at him. The energy ball was shot towards him and Link deflected it back at the creature with its sword. The creature vanished instantly before it was hit and the ball hit the ceiling with a magnificent explosion.

Link braced himself for the creature to reappear again and was rewarded when the creature reappeared right in front of him again. Link rolled out of the way and took out his bow again as he had an idea. The creature was preparing to shoot another energy ball at him, this one twice as big as the one before. Link quickly took aim the creature with a bomb arrow and shot it at the creature. The bomb arrow hit the creature just as it released the energy ball and sent it flying into the ceiling where it froze in midair in pain. Link deflected the giant energy ball at the creature and the ball hit the creature dead on. The ball exploded onto the creature with such a force that the whole room became blinded by a bright blue light while the ball hit the creature. Once the light cleared, the creature fell to the ground where it lay motionless. Link saw that its eyes were closed and savored his victory.

Zelda had just finished climbing the ladder and ran towards Link and gave him a crushing hug that almost knocked him over.

"Oh Link! I was so worried about you! I'm so glad you're ok!" exclaimed Zelda. Link who had never seen Zelda this histerical tried to calm her down by saying "It's all right Zelda. I barely even have a scratch on me."

"Ahem! If you two are quite through, we have a key to recover," said Midna rolling her eyes. Zelda let go of Link and the two of them followed Midna as she led them to the door at the very end of the room. Link had not noticed this door as he had been preoccupied fighting the creature. After walking the length of the room, the three of them reached the door. Midna opened it and the three of them went inside. Inside was a small black room lit by two torches with a chest in the middle. Link walked over to the chest and opened it. Inside was a key unlike any they had seen so far. The key was black and green like the Twili and was so shiny that Link could see his reflection on the key. Link put it in his pocket and turned to Midna.

"Can you get us out of here?" asked Link.

"Sure I can. Hold on tight," said Midna. Link and Zelda were converted into little black squares and were transported outside the tower. When they reformed they were once again in the city of Rhuyle.

"Ok we have the key we need, now let's hurry towards Twilight Castle!" exclaimed an excited Midna as they started walking down the streets. The three of them had no time to waste and needed to get to the castle as quickly as possible.

**Next Chapter: Onwards to the Castle**


	17. Chapter 17: Onwards to the Castle

**Author's Note: This chapter is kinda on the short side but it serves its purpose. The next chapter is another temple chapter but I've already started on it so hopefully it won't be too long until that's ready. Anyway enjoy chapter 17 and feel free to share you thoughts on it by leaving a review.**

Chapter 17: Onwards to the Castle

As Link, Zelda and Midna walked through the streets of Rhuyle on their way to the Twilight Castle, Link couldn't help but notice how deserted and empty the streets of this city were. There were absolutely no signs of life anywhere. The buildings all looked deserted and none had any light coming out of them to show that there was any residence there at all. This was rather strange to Link. A gigantic city like Rhuyle should be filled with life with Twili roaming the streets. The lack of any signs of life in this city was both alarming and puzzling. Not only were there no Twili roaming the streets, but the searchlights that once littered the streets with their bright yellow lights were gone. Link supposed that Ganondorf had been told by those six Twili in the Twilight Temple that it was he who killed the three Twili that they had sent in to retrieve the magic book.

That was another issue altogether. Where was Ganondorf? By what Link had learned from Midna, Ganondorf had completely taken over the Twilight Realm. Yet Link had yet to see any trace of Ganondorf being in the Twilight Realm at all. The only evidence of his existence was all the Ganondorf statues stationed at each street corner. The lack of meeting Ganondorf so far gave Link a rather ominous feeling. Ganondorf was obviously busy planning for his attack on the Light Realm. Link also supposed that Ganondorf didn't consider him, Zelda and Midna to be much of a threat. This made Link angry but he soon conceded that Ganondorf was right in this way of thinking. Without the Master Sword's evil-repelling powers, he was no match for Ganondorf.

Link could begin to see the Twilight Castle in the distance. The three of them weren't very far from the castle as they could see that the buildings around them were getting smaller and smaller, a sign that they were approaching the edge of Rhuyle. Within ten minutes, the three of them were standing in front of the Twilight Castle.

The Twilight Castle stood an impressive fifty feet tall and about one hundred feet wide. It was very similar in appearance to Hyrule Castle with its many towers and windows. It was a deep black color and this choice of color gave it a shadowy appearance. It had two magnificent doors in the front of the castle that were glossed with diamonds and other jewels for decoration. On the doors there was also a giant padlock that prevented anyone from going in. The castle had the same strange purple markings on its walls similar to the Twilight Palace that Link had visited before.

The Twilight Castle was removed from the entire city and was on its own section of land apart from any other building. The castle was in isolation as there were no other significant landmarks around it, just dirt and rocks. There was a valley behind it but there appeared to be nothing in it. However as Link, Zelda and Midna started stepping towards the castle, it appeared that Link's first assumption was wrong. There appeared to be a big commotion going on down in the valley.

"Do you want to check out what's going on down there?" asked Link. The other two nodded. The three of them walked behind the castle and towards the valley. When the three of them got towards the top of the valley they were greeted with a shock.

At the bottom of the valley there were thousands of Twili gathered around something. Looking closely Link saw that the center of attention was none other than Ganondorf himself. Next to him was a mirror of sorts. He appeared to be addressing the Twili gathered there however Link, Zelda and Midna couldn't hear what he was saying.

"We need to get down there," said Midna with a serious face.

"But how? He'll recognize us instantly," said Zelda.

"Maybe in our current state. But if I transform into a wolf and you into an owl, maybe he won't recognize us," suggested Link.

"How will we do that? The Master Sword prevents us from being affected by the Twilight," asked Zelda.

"I'll just leave the Master Sword by the steps of the castle. Then when we're not by the Master Sword anymore, we won't be affected anymore and will revert to our twilight forms," explained Link.

"Good thinking. But wait… is it smart to leave the Master Sword out in the open like that? If someone stole it, it would be disastrous," asked a concerned Zelda.

"Zelda every Twili in the entire city is down there in the valley. It's a risk we have to take," answered Link.

"Oh alright. Go and leave it there," said Zelda. Link ran to the front of the castle and placed his scabbard on the steps. He then saw a shadow on the top steps next to the railing and put his scabbard there so it was partly hidden by shadow. Link then started running back towards the valley. When Link was about halfway along the side wall of the castle, he dropped to all fours. He felt the familiar transformation occurring and within seconds he was a wolf again.

He felt that his senses were suddenly very sharpened. He could see every detail of the ground in front of him and every gentle breath of wind felt made itself known to him more forcefully than before. This was the first time that he had been a wolf for more than a few seconds in eight months so he needed a couple of minutes to get re-acquainted with his wolf self. He then started to trot towards the valley to meet with Zelda and Midna.

When he got there he saw that Zelda was once again in her owl form. She was flying a few feet off the ground and when Link rejoined them, flew over to Link and perched herself on his back.

"There you are. I've missed your wolf form," commented Midna with a sneer as she flew under Link and became his shadow. Link then went towards the valley and started making his way down the rocks until he was at the very back of the Twili crowd. Link thought that Ganondorf looked at them as they were coming down but if he did, he paid them no attention. However they could now hear everything Ganondorf was saying.

"My friends, the time to act is slowly approaching. Redemption and victory will soon be ours. I have just completed work on the Mirror of Twilight. As you know, a mirror identical to this one used to inhabit the Light Realm in the Mirror Chamber of Arbiter's Grounds. However it was destroyed by the former Twilight Princess, Midna. With this act of destruction, Midna made sure that we couldn't enter the Light Realm again.

"Until today. With the completion of this new Mirror of Twilight, we will be able to travel to the Light Realm and wreak havoc on the people that live there. Revenge for trapping us in this realm is almost upon us. However it is not ready yet. I still have to obtain the spell that makes it work. It is currently locked away in my castle that I have been locked out of. However I am close to obtaining it and the mirror will be operational shortly."

The entire Twili crowd started cheering madly. Satisfied with what they had heard, Link ran up the rocks of the valley and he, Zelda and Midna were once again in the vicinity of the castle. Link ran towards the front of the castle. Zelda got off of Link and started flying on her own when they reached the same spot Link had transformed into a wolf, about halfway down the side wall of the castle. Link and Zelda were once again humans and started walking toward the front of the castle.

Link could breathe easy again. He had a nagging worry in the back of his mind that the Master Sword would be gone when he got back but the mere fact that he was a human again proved that the Master Sword was still in its place, hidden in the shadows on the top of the Twilight Castle's steps. When they got to the steps, Midna flew out from under Link and floated towards the side of him as he climbed the stairs to reach his scabbard. Link reached into the shadows and once again had the Master Sword in his possession. He placed the scabbard back on his back and was ready to proceed.

"We need to hurry. Ganondorf's plan is nearly complete," said a worried Zelda. Link nodded as he pulled out his key to the castle and stuck it in the padlock. The padlock fell to the ground and the doors were free. Link opened the door on the right hand side and the three of them went inside.

**Next Chapter: The Horrors of Twilight Castle**


	18. Chapter 18: Horrors in Twilight Castle

**Author's Note: Sorry for the wait but chapter 18 is fianlly here. This chapter ended up being a lot longer than I thought it would. It is easily the longest of the chapters so far as it almost doubles what any chapter contained before. Enjoy!**

Chapter 18: The Horrors of Twilight Castle

Link, Zelda and Midna walked through the door and were now inside Twilight Castle. The room they were in now was the main room of the castle. The room was rectangular and the ceiling stood very high, about thirty feet. There were staircases on either side of the room that led up to a banister up at the top of the room. Link could see a door behind the banister. In between the two staircases was a hallway that had a door on either side of the hallway. At the very end of the room, Link could see a door in the middle of the hallway.

Link suddenly heard what sounded like a gust of wind. Looking down, he saw that there was a circular shadow growing bigger by the second. Link looked up and saw a hand lowering itself towards him. He dove forward just as the hand reached out to try and grab him. Link took out his sword and slashed at the hand a couple of times. The hand flattened across the floor and exploded after a couple of seconds. Link put his sword away when he heard Zelda and Midna both scream. Terrified, Link turned around to see two more hands clutching both Zelda and Midna and starting to rise to the ceiling.

Link quickly took out his bow and took aim at the hands. He shot an arrow at the one clutching Zelda. It hit it squarely in the knuckle and it relinquished Zelda, sending her flying towards the ground. Link dropped his bow and caught her. Link quickly set her to her feet, picked up his bow and took aim at the one carrying Midna. The hand was almost at the very top of the ceiling when Link shot it, hitting it in the knuckles. Just as the other one, it let go of Midna. Midna then flew down towards the ground to get behind Link.

However the two hands were far from finished. They once more dropped from the ceiling, each creating shadows that got bigger and bigger the closer they got to the ground. Link grabbed Zelda and led her away from the shadows as Midna followed behind him. When the two hands reached the ground, they turned to face Link. Link drew his sword and advanced towards the hands. One of the hands flew towards Link. Link swiped his sword at it and it fell to the ground but it was not dead. It tried to grip Link but it missed. Link struck his sword through its palm and it stopped moving.

This debacle allowed time for the other hand to advance towards Link. Link reacted too late and the hand enclosed its fingers around Link. Link tried to move his arms and legs but the grip on him was too tight to accomplish anything. The hand slowly started to rise towards the ceiling. Link started to panic and tried struggling against his captor but he couldn't budge. The two of them were feet from the ceiling when Link got his right arm free. With his left arm still caught, he couldn't use the Master Sword so he had to come up with a plan. An idea came to him and he reached into his pocket and took out a bomb. Link looked up towards the ceiling and saw a portal open. Link realized with horror that the hand was going to take him into the portal. The fuse was slowly burning down and Link waited for the bomb to explode. Link and the hand were inches from the portal when the bomb finally exploded. The explosion sent the hand flying into the portal and Link flying towards the ground. The portal closed behind it as the wallmaster flew into it. As Link fell towards the ground, he quickly pulled out his spinner. He put the spinner under his legs and pulled the lever to get it started. It started spinning and when Link hit the ground, he flew across the floor with the spinner to avoid getting hurt.

Once he was safely on the ground, Link dismounted from the spinner and walked over to Zelda and Midna.

"What were those things?" asked Link as he put his sword and spinner away.

"I think they're called wallmasters. I heard stories when I was a kid that wallmasters would hide up on the ceiling of places and lower themselves onto their prey and take them to an alternate dimension. The people it carried off were no longer heard from again. I used to think that these things weren't real but after seeing this, I guess they are," explained Zelda with a slightly scared expression.

"I guess this is our welcoming committee. Ganondorf must have known that we would break into the castle and aaahhhhh!" screamed Link before he could finish his sentence. Link had been hit in the chest and stomach by a mysterious force that sent him flying back hard onto the floor. When Link regained the air in his stomach, he looked in front of him. There was nothing. Link took out the Revealance Rod and waved it. As the silver mist cleared, another hand was revealed. This hand was different than the others as it resided on the floor instead of the wallmasters which used the ceilings. It was also shaded blue instead of the red that the wallmasters were.

The hand started crawling creepily towards Link. Link drew his sword to prepare against the hand. The hand then suddenly turned green and floated in the air for a couple of seconds and then flew right at Link. Link rolled to the side so the hand just missed him. The hand then turned around and launched itself at Link once more however Link was ready this time and struck it with his sword. Instead of dying, the hand just split into three smaller hands. The hands started crawling frantically in different directions across the floor. They then turned towards each other and looked as if they were going to converge. Link put a stop to it by slicing his blade through them before they could merge. When they were dead, they lay on the floor and Link put his sword back in its scabbard.

"The throne room is at the top of these stairs so let's go there," suggested Midna. Link and Zelda both agreed and the three of them started climbing the stairs. Their footsteps echoed loudly in the otherwise completely silent castle. When the three of them had finished climbing the stairs, they were faced with a door. The door was black as night and had a strange symbol on it.

The symbol was split into three parts. The biggest part was the part in the middle. It looked like two crescent moons with a circle inside the crescent connected with a straight line. On top and bottom of these two connected figures was a diamond-like shape. These three images combined formed an image that looked like a strange head with huge eyes.

"Midna, do you know what that symbol is?" asked Link. Midna closed her eyes and chuckled.

"That's the official symbol of the Twili. It's been around for as long as the Twili have existed," explained Midna.

"I think I've seen that symbol before. The symbol for the Gerudo tribe is very similar to this one," said Zelda.

"Gerudo? I've never heard of them," commented Midna.

"They were an ancient tribe that used to inhabit the Gerudo Desert. Now they're almost extinct with the only record of them being those bandit tribes in the Gerudo Desert that revived Ganondorf. They are the only ones who still possess Gerudo blood except for Ganondorf," explained Zelda.

"Well, it's probably just a coincidence," said Midna coyly.

Link walked up to the door and tried to open it. He grabbed the handle and pulled but it did not budge. He grabbed with both hands and pulled the door handle as hard as he cold but it would not move.

"Link, look at the bottom right hand corner of the door. There's a shadow that shouldn't be there. Maybe something's hidden there?" suggested Zelda.

Link looked where Zelda had suggested and saw that he saw that right next to the door was a faint shadow that showed up on the dark black wall. Link wouldn't have seen it if he wasn't concentrating very hard on the bottom right hand corner. The shadow blended in perfectly with the deep black door and was only slightly visible on the part of it that showed up on the wall. Link took out the Revealance Rod and waved it at the door. The silver mist engulfed the entire top of the stairs like fog in a bog. When the mist cleared there was a tall pole with a tray-like attachment with five rounded holes that looked like something had to be put in there. Indeed, when Link inspected the pole further, there was an inscription. It said that to open the door, the five stones that contain a part of the password must be placed in the correct hole in the attachment. Link turned to face Zelda and Midna.

"It looks like we'll have to search every inch of this castle," said Link chuckling a bit trying to inject some humor into their situation.

"Well, we should start with the rooms we saw in the hallway downstairs," suggested Zelda. Link and Midna both nodded and the three of them began to make their way down the stairs again. The three of them descended the stairs and were once again back in the first room. They started walking towards the hallway. The hallway was fairly short and contained just two large doors, one on each side of the hallway. The doors were the same as the door up the stairs, black and metallic looking. Link was about to look away from these doors when he noticed something that made him do a double-take.

Hanging above each door was a severed head. The bit of neck that was still attached to the head was black while the face was pale as a ghost. The face had black patches over each eye and there were green markings in different spots of the neck.

"Are…Are…Are…Are those Twili heads?" asked Zelda terrified.

"Yes…They appear to be," responded Link. He didn't know what to say. There were two Twili heads hanging above the doors. This was the creepiest and sickest thing he had ever seen.

Midna was speechless. She just looked at the heads with a shocked expression. That shocked expression soon turned to sadness and she had to fight back the tears that were starting to form. She angrily closed her eyes and shook her head. She then turned back to Link and Zelda.

"Can we get out of here? Please? Just take any of the doors," asked a semi-tearful Midna.

"Sure, let's take the one of the left," said Zelda gently. Link led the way to the door on the left as Midna and Zelda followed. Before Midna went inside she took one last look at the Twili heads and then went inside quickly. A single tear hit the ground just as the door closed.

The room they were inside now was pitch-black. Try as he might, Link couldn't see the hand stretched out in front of his face. He quickly turned around and found that he couldn't see Midna or Zelda either.

"Link, don't you have a something to give us light? Like a lantern or something?" asked Zelda. Link couldn't see her but from the sound of her voice it sounded like she was standing just a little to his right.

"Well, I have a lantern but it doesn't have any lantern oil left in it. I used it up in that sewer," answered Link.

"Give it to me and I'll refill it with my magic," responded Zelda. Link took out his lantern and tried to hand it to Zelda. He was having trouble finding Zelda's hand but after a short time he found her hand and thrust the lantern into it. Zelda took the lantern in her hands and waved her hand. Suddenly the lantern was lit as there was lantern oil inside. The entire room was illuminated by the bright light. The lantern seemed to glow brighter than usual and by this, Link was confused.

"Zelda, what did you do to the lamp? It's glowing brighter than it normally does. Not that it's a bad thing but I just want to know," asked Link trying to keep accusation out of his voice.

"I filled the lantern with lantern oil with my magic. I then cast a spell on it that makes it glow brighter and will make it never run out," said Zelda.

"That's good to know," responded Link.

"Where exactly are we?" asked Zelda while she looked around the room. Link had been so shocked by his glowing lantern that he hadn't had time to process the contents of the room. This room was about the size of a large closet and contained many suits of armor, helmets, spears, and other military equipment that seemed out of place in this black setting. The suits were a rusty gray color with that same Twili symbol that the three of them had seen on the throne room door. The helmets were the same color as the suits of armor and contained the Twili symbol themselves. All of this equipment was covered in cobwebs so Link guessed that it hadn't seen any use in many years.

"We are in the storage room for the Rhuyle army," answered Midna in a monotonous voice. Link almost jumped, Midna hadn't said a word since they entered this room so he had forgotten she was there. She obviously hadn't gotten over the image of the Twili heads hanging over the two doors. "When Rhuyle was first founded, the king ordered that there be a Rhuyle army. He was a rather stupid king as he didn't realize that this is the only civilization of Twili in this entire realm and that there was no need for an army as we had no one to defend ourselves from. However the next king in line ordered that the military equipment be destroyed. During the process, part of Rhuyle caught on fire so the process was halted. It has been deemed that this equipment was good luck and shall not ever leave the castle. These helmets, armor, spears and shields have never been used and never will."

"Do you think that one of the spheres could be hidden in here?" asked Link.

"Could be. No one ever comes in here so maybe," said Midna with a shoulder shrug.

"But where would it be?" asked Zelda looking around the closet. There was nothing but armor, shields, helmets and spears in the room. No cracks in the wall, no trap doors, no where to hide a sphere.

"Maybe it's in one of the helmets?" suggested Midna in that same emotionless voice she had adopted ever since they entered this room. Link looked at the helmets and saw that they were being hanged upside down so a sphere as small as the ones they were looking for could easily fit inside one of the helmets.

"But how will we find the sphere? It could take forever, there have to be at least five hundred helmets in here," protested Zelda.

"That won't be a problem," said Link as he pulled out his Gale Boomerang. Link focused the Gale Boomerang on the four corners of the room, and then let it fly. The Gale Boomerang soared around the room, creating a gust of wind that shook everything in its path. Suddenly out of one of the helmets in the southeast corner of the room came a small sphere. It landed on the ground to Link's right. Link knelt down and picked up the sphere and held it in his hands. It was made of a clear substance and inside there was gray smoke swirling around the inside of the orb. Link put the orb inside his pocket and turned to Link and Zelda.

"We should put this in one of the spots on the tray by the door and see what happens," said Link. Zelda nodded in agreement while Midna made no indication that she had even heard Link.

The three of them went towards the door and walked through it and were back in the hallway that led to the front room of the castle. They were greeted with the severed Twili head hanging from the door across the hall. Link, Zelda and Midna spent as little time in the hallway as possible and within seconds were in the front room of the castle. They climbed the stairs and were once again in front of the extravagant black door leading to the throne room. Link walked in front of tray and took the orb out of his pocket. He placed it in the first pit on the tray and stepped back, waiting for something to happen. Nothing happened at first but then the word ALL appeared on the left-hand side of the door in all capital blood-red letters. Link supposed that this was the first word in the five-word password.

"Well, we still have four more to go so we should get going," said Zelda. Link nodded in improvement and Midna once again acted oblivious to anything going on around her. The three of them walked down the stairs and headed back towards the hallway. Link started jogging ahead of them and quickly went inside the room on the right side of the hallway. He didn't want to spend any more time staring at those Twili heads as possible as they really creeped him out. Zelda followed suite and hurried to the door. Midna however, kept her slow pace and floated slowly towards the door that Link and Zelda were at. Once Midna reached them, Link opened the door and led the two princesses inside.

They were now inside what looked like a dining hall. The room was longer than it was wide with a huge table in the center of the room. The room followed the rest of the castle's black motif with black walls and a black floor. The table and chairs around it were a grayish color and seemed to be made out of perfectly handcrafted stone. The table had no eating utensils or plates anywhere on it and was mostly empty. The only thing that made the table stand out was a statue of Ganondorf that was in the middle of it. It was in the same vein as the statues of Ganondorf in the streets as Rhuyle in that it was made of the same material and seemed to be crafted by the same sculptor. This statue had Ganondorf standing up tall with his arms spread out at his sides as if he was receiving power from someone.

"I doubt this room has any orbs in them. This room is empty except for the table and chairs. If there were any orbs, I think we'd be able to see them," said Zelda to Link.

"Well, they could be on one of the chairs," suggested Link. Link then took out his Gale Boomerang and repeated his actions that he had done before and sent the Gale Boomerang around the table, knocking over all the chairs in the process. From what he had observed, he could see no orbs but he had to be sure. He put away his Gale Boomerang as he and Zelda both started walking amongst the chairs to see if there was an orb.

"I don't see any orbs. Do you?" asked Link and he and Zelda crossed paths.

"No. I think it's safe to say that this room doesn't have anything useful in it," answered Zelda.

The two of them started walking over to where Midna was. Once rejoined with Midna, the three of them went back out into the hallway and headed right to explore a new portion of the castle. Link had seen this part of the castle briefly while moving from door to door in the hallway but now they were going to explore it extensively. When the three of them were in the room, they were greeted with an impressive sight.

They were now in a lobby of sorts. The room they were in now was circular and had two floors. Link counted six doors, three on the ground floor and three on the floor above them. In the middle of the room there was a staircase that led to the second floor.

"Midna, can you provide us with any information about any of these rooms? That way we might be able to deduce which rooms would be most likely house the orbs," asked Zelda.

"The room straight ahead of you behind the staircase is the ballroom. It was used for recreation. The room on the left of the staircase is the royal kitchen. The room on the right of the staircase is the guest waiting room where guests wait to see the ruler. The rooms on the second floor are all staff bedrooms," explained Midna still without any hint of emotion in her voice. Link was starting to worry about her. Midna had the same neutral expression on her face all the time now. Seeing two severed Twili heads had a much bigger effect on her than he thought it would.

"Well, why don't we try the guest waiting room first?" suggested Zelda.

"I don't see why not. Midna what do you think?" asked Link trying to bring Midna into the conversation. She didn't respond so he just gave up and followed Zelda as she led the two of them to the room on the right handed side of the room. When Link, Zelda and Midna entered through the door they were faced with a rather empty room except for some couches and tables with chairs around them.

"There's not much in this room but that's a good thing. It won't take that long to search," said Link in response to the small room. Zelda nodded and the two of them went to searching the room while Midna remained floating at the door.

Link went to the chairs and the table. He checked all the chairs to see if one of them was hiding an orb but he didn't find any there. There was also no orb on top of the table. Link then turned back to Zelda to see how her search was coming. She had searched under and inside the couches.

"Find anything?" called Link over to Zelda. Zelda finished her search with a disappointed face and then turned to Link.

"No. I think this room is empty as well," Zelda responded.

"I guess we should check another room then," said Link, dejected.

Link and Zelda joined Midna by the door and the three of them walked out and back into the lobby.

"How about we go into the kitchen next?" asked Link.

"That's fine with me," Zelda answered. Link looked at Midna but she once again didn't say anything. The three of them walked across the floor and past the staircase and came up to the door that led to the kitchen. Link opened the door and led Zelda and Midna inside.

The kitchen was about the same size as the guest waiting room. There was a huge stove at the back of the room with several tables lining the middle of the room. The tables were aligned up and down from the door of the room. Next to the stove was a stack of trays and next to the eastern most tables was a sink. The sink was just a pool of water inside a stone bowl. The stove at the end of the room was connected to the wall and was mainly just a hole in the wall with iron bars around it. The stove was still on fire so it appeared to have been in use.

"That stove looks intriguing. Let's go check it out," said Link. Zelda nodded and came with him while Midna took up her recent habit of remaining by the door floating. Link and Zelda came up towards the fire and were mystified by the swirling red and orange flames. A sudden wave of confusion hit Link with the force of a darknut's sword. Why was this stove still on fire?

"Zelda why is this stove still on fire? It doesn't appear to have been used for a long time," asked Link.

"I don't know but I have a feeling that if we put it out, we'll find something valuable," answered Zelda.

Link had a sudden inspiration. He walked over to the sink and took out an empty bottle. He filled up the bottle with water and carried it towards the stove. He threw the water over the fire, expecting it to be extinguished. His thoughts came true as once the water hit the fire, it was extinguished. Behind the bars was an orb identical to the one they had found in the helmets in the military closet. However this orb was locked behind iron bars that were too tightly packed together for Link to reach and get to.

However Link had another idea. He grabbed the iron bars and tried to separate them. Armed with the power of his power gauntlets, this was a very easy task. He pulled the bars apart so that he could reach inside and grab the orb. He did just this and pulled it towards him so that he had it in his possession. He cupped it in his hands and held it so Zelda could see it as well. It was exactly like the first orb, transparent and with swirling smoke in the center. Link put it in his pocket and looked at Zelda.

"We should put this in the tray with the other one so we don't lose it," said Link. Zelda agreed and the two of them walked towards the door where Midna was. The three of them went through the door and were once again back in the lobby. They turned right and headed for the hallway leading to the entrance to the castle and were once again in the presence of the death stare of the two severed Twili heads. Link and Zelda quickly jogged out of the hallway with Midna floating at the same slow pace behind them. When Midna had caught up with Link and Zelda, the three of them climbed the stairs and were greeted with the familiar black door with ALL etched across the left hand side of the door.

Once they had reached the tray attached to the pole, Link took out the second orb and placed it in the hole next to where the first one lay. Link stepped back and looked at the door for the next part of the password to be revealed. Next to the word ALL appeared the word SHALL. The password now read ALL SHALL. They were now two fifths of the way complete.

"Well, I guess our next stop is the ballroom. C'mon let's go," said Link and he led Zelda and Midna down the stairs. As they were headed down the stairs, Zelda leaned closer to Link. With Midna floating slowly behind them, she was out of earshot.

"Link, are you as worried about Midna as I am? She hasn't said anything or shown any signs of life in quite a while. It's like she's been drained of all her soul," said a worried Zelda.

"I know what you mean. I guess seeing the two severed Twili heads had a real negative impact on her," answered a just as worried Link.

"Yeah but this is a bit much. Maybe she's blaming herself for this?" asked Zelda.

"Maybe. I just hope she snaps out of it soon," said Link just as they passed the severed Twili heads. As Midna passed the heads, she looked up at them and then looked away quickly.

Once Link and Zelda were inside the lobby once more, they waited for Midna. Once Midna caught up with them, the three of them headed around the stairs and made for the ballroom. Link was the first one to the door and opened it so Zelda and Midna could follow him.

As soon as Link glanced at the room, he knew that there would not be an orb here. The room was completely empty, there was just black on all sides.

"Well no need to search here," said Link.

"Indeed, let's head for the second floor," agreed Zelda. Midna once again said nothing. Link who had not even closed the door behind them, led them out of the ballroom and towards the stairs. Link grabbed the staircase and led the other two up the stairs. When they were about halfway up the stairs, Link noticed something going on at the bottom of the stairs. The stairs were vanishing one by one. Link and Zelda started running frantically up the stairs as the vanishing became faster and faster, threatening to catch up with them. Link and Zelda made it to the top of the stairs and onto the second level just before the last stair vanished.

"How are we going to get down?" asked Zelda. Link was wondering that too. With the staircase gone, there was no way to get down unless they jumped. The fall would severely injure them so jumping was not an option.

"The stairs are not gone. They are merely hidden," said Midna suddenly. Link nearly jumped. It had been so long since he had heard Midna's voice that the mere act of her speaking surprised him.

"So they're just invisible now? That means I can use my rod on them to make them appear again right?" asked Link. Midna didn't say anything, she merely nodded. Link was happy with that however, at least she acknowledged him.

"Ok let's start with this door right in front of us," suggested Link. Zelda looked at Midna sadly but nonetheless agreed.

Link opened the door and the three of them were soon inside a very small room. Link, Zelda and Midna standing side by side just barely fit inside. The room was cube shaped, with four walls and a ceiling just like a normal room. Next to the wall straight ahead of them was a four poster bed. The posts were orange and made out of wood and the sheets made out of cloth. It had nothing on it except a pillow that was pale white. However hanging next to the bed on a hook in the wall was a butler outfit. It was a piece of clothing that looked liked a tuxedo. Link supposed that this was the castle butler's room. Against the wall on the right hand side was a desk made completely out of wood. It had two drawers that were both firmly shut. There was dust on top of it and looked like it hadn't been cleaned for a long time. Hanging on the wall to their left was a mirror. The mirror was almost the size of the wall but was just a little smaller. Link turned to Zelda. He didn't even address Midna as he figured she would just keep floating there with that same blank expression on her face.

"We should search the entire room. Why don't you search the dresser and I'll search the tuxedo and the bed," suggested Link.

"Ok. That sounds like a plan," responded Zelda cheerfully. She then turned around and went to pulling the drawers out of the desk and searching them. Link meanwhile turned his attention to the bed. He first looked under the bed. There was nothing but dust and lint under the bed so Link turned his attention to the sheets. Link pulled at the sheets, checking for any signs of roundness. Even when he didn't see anything he still felt around because the orb could be invisible. He didn't see or feel anything so he was forced to resign that there was no orb here. He turned to Zelda again. He didn't really expect her to find anything but he thought he'd ask her anyway.

"Hey Zelda, have you found anything?" said Link even though he half-knew the answer already.

"Actually, yes. I can't see anything in this drawer but I think I feel something round. It could be an orb," said Zelda pointing to the spot.

"Really?" asked Link surprised. Nevertheless, he took out his Revealance Rod and waved it in the air while pointing it towards the spot where Zelda was pointing. The mist filled up the entire drawer but it had no effect. Nothing was revealed so it appeared Zelda hadn't felt anything.

"Oh. I guess there's no orb here. I must have felt something else," lamented Zelda.

"Well, it's time we check another room," said Link with a sigh. Link and Zelda started walking towards the door while Link put away the Revealance Rod.

"Wait," said Midna suddenly. Link and Zelda both turned around, puzzled. "Link, use your rod in the space under the bed."

"But Midna, I already checked under there. There's nothing there," answered Link. Midna said nothing but stared at him with an expression that seemed to say "Are you serious?" Link smiled a bit and took the Revealance Rod back out. He waved it at the spot beneath the bed and the silver mist that he had become so accustomed to appeared once more and enveloped the entire bed. When the mist cleared, Link saw a round object under the bed. When he knelt down to pick up the round object, he saw that it was an orb. It was identical to the other two that the three of them had found. Link put it in his pocket and went back to join Link and Zelda.

"Midna, how did you know the orb was there if it was invisible?" asked Link.

"The orb's reflection showed up on the mirror. Whoever it was that hid it didn't do a very good job," responded Midna with a smile. Some of the color had returned to her face and she had regained a little of the smirk that always seemed to be on her face. Link was glad as she appeared to put the severed Twili heads out of her mind for now.

"Very observant of you Midna," said Zelda with nothing but kindness in her eyes.

"Thank you Zelda," thanked Midna. She responded Zelda's smile with one of her own.

"Well, let's search the other two rooms" said Link. Zelda and Midna both nodded. Link led the three of them out of the room and started to turn left when Midna stopped him.

"Wait Link. We're already up on this floor so why don't we check the other two rooms before going all the way back to the throne room door?" asked Midna.

"Ok I guess that makes sense," reasoned Link and the three of them instead made a right and continued across the floor. They soon came up to the second room on this floor. Link led the way as always and when the three of them were inside, they were faced with a room that was identical to the room that they were just in. The bed, drawer and mirror that were present in the last room made a reappearance in this room. The only thing missing from making this room an exact replica of the previous room was the absence of a butler outfit.

"Shall we take up our previous posts? You searching the drawer and me taking the bed?" asked Link. Zelda smiled and walked over to the desk while Link made his way towards the bed. Link undid the sheets so that he could feel his way inside the bed. He couldn't see or feel anything underneath the bed and didn't feel or see anything on top of the bed. He then searched under the bed for any orb like objects. He took out the Revealance Rod and waved it so he could be sure that there was really nothing in this part of the room. When the mist cleared, he was proved right by the fact that there was nothing in here. He turned to Zelda to ask her what she was doing.

"Did you find anything?" he called over to her.

"No, I couldn't feel or see anything. I don't think there's anything in here. Why don't we go to the third room on this floor?" asked Zelda. Both Midna and Link nodded to her as they were content with searching this place and the three of them exited the room. As they left the room and turned right, they were headed towards the edge of the floor. The railing was reaching an end and the final door on this floor was situated right at the end of the wall that was next to the railing. Link and Zelda went inside.

As was the case with the last room, this room was identical to the one before it except for one small difference. Where there was a mirror in the previous rooms, there stood a picture. It was a picture of a redead knight. This picture showed a redead knight similar to the ones that appeared in Arbiter's Grounds. It was a mummified corpse with brown, dirty looking skin. It had no eyes, just sunken holes where they should be, along with a mouth without teeth. It was holding a spear and had a red ripped piece of clothing attached around its neck. Link figured that this picture had been placed here recently as he suspected that there weren't any redeads in the Twilight Realm. The picture looked so real that Link half-expected it to jump out of its frame and start attacking him. He was being silly however and turned around to Zelda.

"Well, let's do what we do best. Comb the place for orbs," joked Link. Zelda and Midna both laughed and Zelda went over to the desk in a similar fashion to the other rooms. Link walked over to the bed that was in the exact same spot as the other rooms and started combing the sheets. He saw and felt nothing and then proceeded to checking under the bed. He took out the Revealance Rod, waved it and sighed as there was nothing there either. He turned back to Zelda.

"Did you find anything?" asked Link. Zelda turned around and walked over to him.

"No. Did you find anything?" responded Zelda.

"Nope. Well, let's take the orb we did find back to the Throne Room door," said Link. Midna opened the door and beckoned for the two of them to follow her out of the room. Zelda nodded and the two of them were about to cross the room and exit the door when they were faced with something very odd.

The redead knight had climbed out of the portrait and was now blocking their way out of the room. Zelda screamed and ran behind Link on top of bed. Link drew his sword and got ready to take on the redead. Link charged with his sword but before he could slice it, the redead unleashed its signature move; it's paralyzing scream. The redead issued a screech that filled the entire room and felt like knives were being slashed upon Link, Zelda and Midna's ears. Zelda and Midna covered their ears but Link wasn't so lucky. He wasn't able to move his arms and legs and was thus, defenseless against the redead. The redead slowly started to move its arm with the spear and bring it towards Link. Link felt his arms and legs free of paralysis and blocked the spear with his shield.

Link used this opportunity to attack. He gripped his sword and slashed at the redead's body. Link got in four blows to its chest and the redead fell to the ground, all of its energy to battle, leaving its body through the wounds Link had delivered. It lay on the ground motionless.

Link put his sword away and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He had been scared the redead was going to maul him. Zelda came over to Link and motioned for them to get out of here. Link didn't need telling twice as he and Zelda crossed the room to join Midna at the door.

Link, Zelda and Midna exited the room and were back out on the second floor ledge. The three of them traveled back towards the invisible stairs. When they had reached the stairs, Link took out the Revealance Rod and waved it at the stairs. The silver mist that was expelled from the rod floated in midair but when it made contact with the stairs, expanded so that it could contain the entire staircase. When the mist cleared, the staircase was revealed and Link, Zelda and Midna could descend the stairs without fear of falling from a great height by not being able to see the stairs. Link led the way as the three of them went down single file. However when Link was about six steps away from the bottom, what he saw waiting for them at the foot of the stairs made him stop dead in his tracks.

Standing in a semicircle around the stairs were five more redead knights. They all were identical to the one they had faced in the room and were all just as menacing. Link was starting to worry how he would face all five of them in hand to hand combat at once but he had an idea. Perhaps he wouldn't have to take them on up close but could do it from afar. He took out his bow and his bomb bag. He opened up his bomb bag and counted how many bombs were inside. There were exactly five left. Link started making bomb arrows and was done within a couple of minute while the redeads crept ever closer at that maddeningly slow pace. When Link had finished making bomb arrows, he put the arrows in his bow and aimed. He could not miss.

He took aim at the redead on the far left and shot his bomb arrow. The bomb arrow made contact and the force of the explosion that took place made the entire redead disintegrate. He pulled up another bomb arrow and took aim at the redead that was next to the one Link just killed. He shot his arrow at it and it too met the redead head on and the redead was destroyed by the resulting explosion.

"So far so good," Link said as he made another bomb arrow.

Link took aim with this bomb arrow at the redead that was right next to the redead that had fallen just seconds before. He shot at it and it was no more as the bomb arrow hit it straight on and exploded in its face. With two redead knights left, Link had two bombs left and thus could make two more bomb arrows.

However the remaining redeads were so close that any explosions would result in Link, Zelda and Midna being caught in the blast as well.

"Zelda, Midna. Move up the stairs a little bit to give me more room," commanded Link. Zelda and Midna complied and backed up a little bit so Link could have more room.

Suddenly Link felt the stairs change. The staircase was disappearing just as it had before. The stairs were completely transparent now and Link could not see any of them. It was like they were floating in the air. Link felt it kind of weird to take aim at something when he had no visible ground to shoot off of. However he reasoned that if he just stood in this same spot, he wouldn't have to worry.

The redead knights were now at the very bottom of the stairs and were starting to work their way up. Link motioned for Zelda and Midna to back up again and the two of them obeyed, giving Link more room to shoot. He took aim at the redead leading the way up the stairs and fired. The shot hit the redead head on and it was destroyed by explosion. The force of the explosion also knocked the second one off the stairs and back on the floor in front of the stairs. Link was glad that this happened because this allowed him more room. Link took aim at the last remaining redead as it started slowly creeping towards him. He fired a bomb arrow right at the redead and, just as the other before it, hit the redead dead on and resulted in an explosion that disintegrated the redead on the spot.

Link put his bow away and relaxed for a couple of seconds. He then beckoned for Zelda and Midna to follow him down the stairs. The three moved down the stairs very slowly as to make sure that they were still on the stairs. When the three of them were on the first floor again, they started walking towards the front room. As they were walking, Zelda turned to Link.

"How do you keep your cool so well when you're faced with all these monsters?" asked Zelda in awe. Link chuckled.

"I guess I just tell myself that getting scared will not do anything to help, so I just don't get scared. I'm able to concentrate because I don't have fear running through me. I've also faced these monsters countless times so I guess that helps too. But mostly I tell myself not to feel fear. Also that's rather hard sometimes when I get in sticky situations," answered Link. Zelda nodded in understanding as her eyes flickered above her. They were now back in the hallway that housed the severed Twili heads. Link glanced at Midna and saw that she had her eyes closed. Link guessed that she didn't want to see them. Link was glad because she was finally starting to become herself again after being so upset for so long.

When they returned to the first room where they had encountered the wall and floor masters, Link, Zelda and Midna climbed the stairs and made their way to the door. Link took out the orb that Midna had found under the bed and put it in the third place for an orb. He stood back and then turned his attention to the door. A new word joined the two previous words ALL and SHALL. The phrase on the door now read ALL SHALL KNEEL. Link could guess what the other two words said but that wouldn't make any difference.

"Wait a minute. We still need two more orbs but we've searched everywhere in the castle. Where could they be?" asked an increasingly confused Link.

"Well…There's always the basement floors," suggested Midna.

"Basement floors? How do we get to them?" asked Link.

"There's a concealed entrance in the room with the staircase that we were previously in. I can open it and then we can go inside and search," explained Midna.

"That sounds good. Let's go then," said Zelda. The other two nodded and started walking down the stairs. When Link, Zelda and Midna were at the bottom of the stairs, they were faced with a stalfos knight. The stalfos was a walking skeleton that carried a shield and a spear. Link was not scared of these monsters as he merely had to shoot a bomb arrow at them to kill them. However Link suddenly realized that he had no bombs left, so he had no way to permanently beat this monster.

"Midna, take Zelda to the entrance to the basement. I'll meet you there," ordered Link. Midna nodded and she and Zelda hurried away from the stalfos knight and towards the hallway. Link watched them escape and then turned to the stalfos knight. He took out his sword and prepared his attack. The stalfos knight drew up aggressively to Link with its above average speed and took a swipe at Link. Link brought his shield above his head and blocked the stalfos' spear with his shield. He then took a stab at the stalfos but the stalfos moved its shield to block the blow. Link was knocked back and the stalfos took this opportunity to stab at Link. Link was ready for this however and dove to the side, rolled around the stalfos and thrust his sword against its back. The stalfos was stunned and Link kept slashing the bones of the stalfos until it was reduced to nothing but a pile of bones.

Link took this opportunity to run. He started sprinting towards the hallway, sword still in hand towards the room with the staircase. He flew through the hallway with the Twili heads and he could see Midna and Zelda going down a hole. Behind him he could hear the stalfos knight reforming. Link kept on sprinting until he was in the main room of the castle and coming up on the trapdoor that was in the floor right in front of the staircase.

When Link got to the trapdoor that had been revealed, he saw that there was a ladder that went down into the depths of the castle basement. Link got on the stairs and started going down. Before he went down further, he brought the trapdoor over the hole in the ground so the stalfos knight couldn't follow them. It was now pitch black and Link couldn't see anything. He climbed down the ladder very slowly so as to not fall down. Going down this dark into unexplored territories gave off an evil feeling to Link. So many questions were buzzing in his mind. Where was he going? What would he find here? Why was this entrance sealed away out of sight? Why was there no sign of Zelda and Midna here?

Link was still climbing down when he heard his foot hit solid ground. The sound echoed loudly in this confined hole. Link got on solid ground and looked around him. He still could not see a thing. He took out his lantern and suddenly all was illuminated. He was in a very small, square room. The walls were all the same black color that the entire castle was. Straight in front of him was a black door with lots of dust on it as if it hadn't been used in quite some time. Standing in front of that door were Zelda and Midna. When they saw the room illuminate, they turned around and saw Link with a grateful look on their faces.

"Link! Thank goodness you're here. Midna and I couldn't see a thing!" exclaimed Zelda. Link walked over to the two of them. Zelda's and Midna's faces shined exquisitely in the light and their skin gleamed with bright light. The power that Zelda had instilled in his lantern really made itself known, illuminating a previously pitch black room to such a bright glowing room that Zelda and Midna had to shield their eyes a little bit.

"Well, we should keep exploring this castle and the next step is to go through this door. Midna, can you shed some light on what we'll find behind this door?" asked Link.

"Actually, I've never been down here so I have no idea. I never had a need to visit this place so I'm just as curious what's down as you guys are," answered Midna.  
"That's not good news…Well let's go on ahead anyway," responded Link disappointedly.

Link then walked towards the door, grabbed the ice cold handle, opened the door and led Zelda and Midna inside. When Link, Zelda and Midna entered the room, they were faced with a very dark rectangular room with torches being the only source of light in the room. There were black structures placed periodically around the room in that they made an unconnected square. There were triangle structures where the ends of the square would be and in between them were rectangle structures. In the middle of the abstract square of structures was what looked like a giant clamp. There were two large rectangular structures with spikes on them. There was a gear which turned and allowed the clamp to close together. Link was shocked to see that there was blood all over the spikes and around the floor. Coming into view now was a Twili. He had previously been behind the clamp and was now coming towards Link, Zelda and Midna. He stopped and looked in their direction.

"Link, put the lantern away!" whispered Midna urgently. Link obeyed and quickly put the lantern back in his pocket. The bright light was extinguished and Link, Zelda and Midna were lost in the shadows. The Twili continued to come over to them however. He was rather tall and menacing looking. His arms were huge and muscular, he looked like he had lots of scars all over his body, as if he had been in battle lots of times. He wore a sleeveless vest that exposed his chest and arms.

"Come out of the shadows! I know you're there!" yelled the Twili in a deep grunt like voice. Link turned to Midna.

"He knows we're here. I'll have to dispose of him," whispered Link. Midna looked undecided but then nodded.

Link bravely stepped out of the shadows. He walked over towards the Twili without showing any trace of fear. The Twili walked towards him.

"You…Master Ganon posted a picture of you for us to see. We were told to dispose of you in any means possible. I will enjoy killing you and collecting my reward," said the Twili.

"You're very confident for someone who doesn't have a weapon," responded Link with a smile as he took out his sword.

"I have no weapon? What do you say to this?" asked the Twili. He put his hands out in front of him and made like he was holding something in both hands. Instantly, a ball and chain, similar to Link's appeared out of thin air. The only difference was that this ball in chain was that it was black and shadowy with purple marks all over it.  
The Twili then started swinging it over his head and flung it at Link. Link dodged it by running to the right side and charging at the Twili. The Twili was ready for this however and kicked out at Link. This caught Link by surprise and knocked him towards the ground. Link hit the ground with a thud while the Twili took this chance to prepare his next attack with the ball and chain. The Twili sent the ball and chain towards Link. Link took out his shield and the ball and chain collided hard with the shield. Link was protected from the blow, but his shield took considerable damage. Link got up with his shield and sword at the ready. Link looked at his shield and saw that there was a huge crack right down the middle of the shield. He disregarded this and charged at the Twili before the Twili could regain the ball and chain. Link led with his sword and stabbed the Twili in the stomach. The Twili dropped his ball and chain in agony. Link was about to deliver the finishing blow when the Twili held up his hand that wasn't clutching the wound on his chest.

"Wait!" Link was shocked and stopped his attack. "You have beaten me fair and square. Let me do the honors of ending my own life. I'd much rather die that way," the Twili said. Link frowned at him, not particularly sure if he should relinquish his weapon, but decided that the Twili was no harm anymore now that he was bleeding from the chest so he handed over the Master Sword. The Twili took it and thrust it into his chest even deeper than before. Link turned away as the Twili dropped the Master Sword as he became motionless and all the color left his face and body. Link turned around and regained the Master Sword.

Zelda and Midna came out of the shadows and rejoined Link. Link held the Master Sword out in front of him, frowning at all the blood stains that were now on the sword. Zelda then held out her hand.

"Let me take care of that Link," said Zelda kindly. Link gave her the Master Sword and she held it in her left hand while she waved her right hand casting a spell. Within seconds, all the blood that was on the Master Sword was gone. Smiling, Zelda gave Link back the Master Sword and Link put it back in his scabbard. The three of them then started walking towards the end of the room. Revealed to be behind the clamp, was a cell and a door next to it. As the three of them got closer to the cell, they saw that there was a lone Twili lying on the ground with its back to the door.

The cell was situated in the left handed corner of the room. The cell was made of iron bars that came down from the ceiling, encompassing the entire corner so that the Twili there had nowhere to go. There was a big padlock on a door that was made of iron bars just like the rest of the cell.

As the three of them approached the cell, their shadows crept into the cell. When the Twili noticed the shadow, it started whimpering.

"Please. No more. No more. I can't take anymore," cried the Twili in an unmistakably feminine voice. Looking closely, Link observed that there were bruises and scratches all over its body. Midna was shocked.

"Wait. We're not here to hurt you. We got rid of the guard," said Midna consolingly.

"I know that voice. Midna! It is you!" cried the Twili, all fear gone from her expression. She jumped up and ran towards the bars of the cell.

"How did you get in there? And why are you in there?" asked Zelda.

"It's a long story," said the Twili.

"We've got time. Apparently you do too," answered Link. Midna scowled at him.

"Very well then. I was put in here because I had been convicted for conspiring against Ganondorf. I was, but I hadn't done any of the action. I was arrested and put in this jail for associating myself with known conspirators against Ganondorf. We were all part of a small group of Twili that did not like Ganondorf as a leader and did not want to have Ganondorf as our leader. We tried to rally members and raise awareness about how Ganondorf is not the right leader for us. We were having a meeting at the old Twilight Temple when we were ambushed by Ganondorf and his legion of followers. We were then taken here, where we were questioned, interrogated, tortured and killed when we wouldn't provide information. The only ones who weren't captured were our leader and about fifteen other members. They escaped and are biding their time to once again try and alert people to Ganondorf's wrong-doings," explained the Twili.

"Who's your leader?" asked Link.

"I cannot say. Our leader wants his identity to remain a secret. This is to prevent anyone from knowing who he was and being able to locate and capture him. His identity remains a mystery to even most of our group members. However he revealed himself to our officers, me included, but we had to swear to keep it a secret," explained the Twili.

"Did you say tortured and killed?" asked Midna with a look that looked to be a mixture of sadness and anger.

"Yes…Those were the consequences of disobedience with Ganondorf's minions. They interrogated us about what we were doing, why we were doing it and where we were going to do it next. If you refused to talk, they just killed you. You saw the giant clamp in the middle of the room right? That was just one of the methods of torture Ganondorf used against us. It's a good thing you guys got here when you did. I was about to be executed by the giant clamp," said a grateful Twili.

"We gotta get you out of here," said Midna frantically. "Link can you cut that padlock?"

"I don't think so. Neither my sword nor my hatchet can cut metal. We'll have to find another way to get her out of here," answered Link apologetically. Midna looked crestfallen.

"I think I saw a key attached to the belt that the guard was wearing. Why don't you search him?" asked the Twili. Link turned and looked at the body of the dead Twili. Blood was spilled all around him but there definitely seemed to be a belt. Link and Zelda walked over to the body while Midna stayed behind to talk with the Twili in the cell.

When Link reached the dead Twili, he took a look at the belt. There, attached to a ring on his belt, was a silver key. Link reached for it, yanked it off of the Twili's belt and held onto it. He was about to head back towards the cell when something caught his attention at the corner of his eye. He turned back to the belt on the dead Twili. Attached to a ring on the other side of his belt was a transparent orb. Looking closely, Link saw that the orb was identical to the three they had previously found.

"Hey Zelda, come over here," said Link motioning for Zelda to come over here. "Look what I found."

"Another orb! Brilliant! Now we only have one more to find!" exclaimed a very happy Zelda.

"I know. We really killed two birds with one stone didn't we?" asked Link jokingly. Zelda laughed and the two of them walked back towards the cell that housed the imprisoned Twili after Link had put the orb in his pocket.

"Well Miss Twili, we have your key," announced Link as he held up the key. Midna and the Twili both lit up with happiness, Midna with happiness that the Twili was to be freed, the Twili with happiness that she was finally freed from this prison. Link walked up to the door and stuck the key in the padlock. The padlock fell to the floor and the door swung wide open.

"Thank you so much for your help! Now I am free to escape!" exclaimed the excited Twili.

"Do you want us to escort you out of here?" asked Midna.

"No, that won't be necessary. I can take care of myself. Anyway once I'm out of the castle I'll be safe because I know a secret passageway," said the Twili. Midna and the Twili hugged one last time before the Twili walked out of the room towards the small room with the ladder. Link, Zelda and Midna were once again alone. Link turned towards the door.

"Well, we should go deeper in this place," said Link. Zelda and Midna agreed and the three of them walked over towards the door. Link was the first one to reach the door and he opened it and led the two of them through the door. The room they were in now was another small, pitch-black room. Link took out his lantern and the room was illuminated, just as the last time he was in a small, dark room. The room they were in was split into two halves. The first half that Link, Zelda and Midna now stood on was just a black floor, two black walls on either side of the three of them and a black ceiling. The second half was a shaft with a ladder leading downwards just like the room that led to the basement. Link stepped back and allowed the two princesses to go in front of him.

When Zelda and Midna had safely started going down the ladder, Link followed suit. He strapped the lantern to his belt buckle and used both of his hands to hang onto the ladder as he descended into the depths of the shaft. It was more comforting climbing down in the light than it was in the pitch black darkness of before. This time, Link had a more confident feeling about what he would find as opposed to blindly wandering into unknown territory. He was preparing himself to find more trapped or imprisoned Twili. Link had to say that he was starting to fear Ganondorf a little more. From what he's seen here in the castle with the Twili heads, Twili prisons and blood-stained clamps, he knew that Ganondorf had meant business. It kind of made the whole thing seem more dangerous, actually seeing what Ganondorf was doing. Before, all of Ganondorf's actions had been behind the scenes, but now that he was experiencing Ganondorf's actions with his own eyes, it made Ganondorf more menacing in his eyes.

Link's feet touched ground and he walked over to join Zelda and Midna who were waiting for him next to a door. When Link had joined the two of them, Zelda opened the door and Midna and Link went inside to the room that was revealed.

The three of them were inside a vertically oriented rectangular room. It was empty except for tow cells made of iron bars just as the last cell had been composed of. There was one on each side of the room and they were as long as the entire walls. These cells were easily three times as big as the previous cells. As Link walked to the center of the room, he saw that there were two Twili inhabiting these cells, one in one and one in the other. When they heard Link's footsteps, they both looked up and when they saw that it wasn't Twili that had been brainwashed by Ganondorf here to torture them, they came up to the bars and looked at them.

"Midna?! Are you here to rescue us?" asked the Twili on the right hand side.

"It's been such a miserable experience here. Please help us," pleaded the Twili on the right hand side.

"Don't worry, we'll get you out of here," answered Midna, her voice sincere and solemn. She turned to Link.

"Well, you're the one with all the gadgets, how are we going to get them out?" Midna asked Link.

"Well…I don't know. Let me think," answered Link. He didn't like being put on the spot like this and had to collect his thoughts for a minute. His sword couldn't cut through metal. His hatchet couldn't cut through metal. He had no bombs left to blow a hole in the metal. He couldn't reveal anything that would be helpful. He didn't think he could pick the lock with an arrow. The clawshot couldn't help. The spinner was useless. He had no items that could help.

"Ugh! If only I had my ball and chain! I could probably crush the metal with it!" said a very frustrated Link. "Wait a minute…You two, wait here." Link turned around and exited the room and went back to the room that had the ladder. He had just realized that there was a perfectly good ball and chain upstairs that he could use. Link took out the lantern and lit up the room so he could climb up the ladder easily. He quickly climbed the ladder and went through the door at the top and was back in the room where he had fought the Twili with the ball and chain. Going around the giant clamp, he reached the place where the Twili had impaled the sword in his chest. When he reached the dead Twili lying on the floor in the same position as before, his eyes fell on the ball and chain lying on the floor. He picked it up and started carrying it across the room and towards the door. He opened the door when he reached the other side of the room and was once again in the pitch blackness of the room with the ladder. The lantern attached to his waist once again lit up the room and he was able to see.

When Link got to the ladder, he saw that he wasn't going to be able to carry the ball and chain while he was climbing down the ladder. He was left with no choice but to drop it down the shaft. He walked over to the shaft and let the ball and chain fall down towards the ground. The ball and chain fell to the ground and hit the floor with a thud that made a loud crash. Link then got onto the stairs and started climbing down. When his feet touched ground, he picked up the ball in chain and brought it into the next room with the jail cells. When Midna and Zelda saw that he had the ball and chain, they both looked a little happier.

"Stand back," warned Link as he started spinning the ball and chain around his head. He then sent it flying at some of the bars of the cell on the right side of the room. The force of the ball and chain hitting the bars destroyed the bars and created a hole in the side of the cell large enough for the Twili to get through and escape. The Twili had stepped back when Link was spinning the ball and chain above his head but now that there was a path to escape, the Twili ran excitedly from its prison. Link then turned his attention to the other cell. He started swinging the ball and chain around his head again, this time aiming at the cell on the left hand side. He let the ball and chain fly and it connected with the iron bars in the front of the cell, destroying them and freeing a path for the second Twili to escape through. The two Twili met in the center of the room and hugged, finally being able to be together again. Link, Zelda and Midna could have enjoyed this touching moment but they heard a girlish scream coming from the door at the end of the room.

"Oh no. She's still alive? So there's still hope? Listen, our sister in there is about to be killed because of her refusal to cooperate with Ganondorf's Twili minions. We thought she was already dead but it turns out she's still alive. There's still time! Please! Could you help our sister?" asked the Twili that came from the right cage with tears forming in her and her sister's eyes. Midna and Zelda turned and looked at Link.

"Don't worry. Nobody's getting killed on my watch," said a very determined Link.

Link led Zelda and Midna across the room. When the three of them had gotten to the door, they heard another scream. Link frantically opened the door and the three of them rushed inside.

They were inside a small square room. The only light source was four torches on the four sides of the room. The room was empty except for a large guillotine. The guillotine was large in that it was as tall as the ceiling which was about ten feet tall. Just as the clamp before it, there was still blood on the blade of the guillotine as well as on the bench that was below where the guillotine would come crashing.

Besides the guillotine were a large male Twili and a smaller female Twili. The large male Twili was holding the female Twili by the hem of her shirt with his left hand and his right hand was curled up into a fist. The female Twili he was holding was littered with cuts and bruises all over her face and body. She also seemed to be a bit disoriented. The large male Twili seemed to be angry over something.

"How many times do I have to tell you? If you don't answer me, you will die! Now…What is the name of your leader?" snarled the male Twili.

"I told you! I don't know! I don't know!" squeaked the female Twili in a terrified voice.

"LIAR!!!" screamed the male Twili. The male Twili then punched the female Twili in the face causing the female Twili to scream with pain. The male Twili then dropped her to the floor and kicked her in the stomach causing her to almost keel over.

"I can't watch!" cried Midna turning her head to the side. Link had to admit that he was a little sick too watching his.

"I guess I have no choice. You chose this path Twili. Your death was your own cause," said the male Twili in a less angry voice.

"Link, do something!" whispered Zelda urgently. Link obeyed and took out his bow and took aim at the Twili. The male Twili grabbed the female Twili by the throat and threw her down on top of the bench. The male Twili then grabbed the string that would lower the guillotine when he let go.

"Link!" whispered Zelda even more urgently. Link shot an arrow at the Twili. It pierced his throat and caused him to fall to the ground. However the fall to the ground also caused the Twili to let go of the string causing the guillotine to drop. Link dashed to the bench and pulled the Twili out from under the guillotine just in time before the guillotine hit the bench. The Twili was saved.

"Who…Who are…Who are you?" asked the Twili, her eyes a little dazed.

"My name is Link. I'm here with Zelda and Midna from the Light Realm and Twilight Realm respectively," Link explained gently. Link led the Twili over to Midna and Zelda who were still waiting by the door.

"Midna? You've come back?" asked the Twili.

"Yes. Link, Zelda and I are taking up the fight against Ganondorf," explained Midna.

"How wonderful! We now have hope!" exclaimed the Twili.

"Come on, your sisters are worried sick about you," said Zelda kindly and she opened the door and led the way back into the other room. When the two Twili sisters saw the door open, they instantly turned their attention to the door. When they saw that their sister was safe, they ran over to her while their sister ran over to them. They met halfway and formed a three way hug each of them crying with joy.

"Well it's good to see that everyone's safe. Now if you'll excuse us we have other business to tend to," said Link as he, Zelda and Midna started to leave to give the sisters time alone together.

"Wait! I have something that might be of use to you," said the Twili sister they had just saved wiping tears out of her eyes. Link, Zelda and Midna stopped walking away and turned to the Twili, obviously interested. The Twili then put her hand in her shirt pocket and pulled out an orb. The orb was exactly the same as the other four they had found and was the last one they needed.

"I found this after it dropped out of the guard who was torturing me's pocket. I have no use for it so why don't you take it?" asked the Twili. Link walked over and took it from her.

"Thanks. We've been looking all over the castle for this. Well, we'll just leave you three here in private," said Midna.

"Midna wait. Promise me you'll defeat Ganondorf," one of the other Twili sisters said. Midna turned around and looked the Twili straight in the eye.

"We will," promised Midna.

The Twili sisters smiled and returned to their three way hug. Link, Zelda and Midna smiled and then turned around to head out the door. Link took out his lantern and lit up the entire square room that they're in. With the newfound light, the three of them were once again able to climb up the stairs. Link had the lantern strapped to his belt so he could use his hands to safely climb up the ladder. The three of them were soon safely at the top of the ladder and were ready to go through the door in the next room. They were back in the room where Link had obtained the ball and chain. The three of them passed the still bloody body of the original owner of the ball and chain and made their way to the door. When they went through the door, they were back in the very first small room that they had gone down when they first went through the trap door. They once again climbed the ladder that was on the side of the wall and were back to where the trap door was. Zelda and Midna who had been leading the way, moved to the side a little bit so that Link could move in front of them to lift up the trap door. Link lifted the trap door up and put it to the side of where the hole in the ground lay. Link helped the two princesses up and out of the trap hole and they were once again in the main room with the vanishing staircase where they had found the redead knights.

Once the three of them were out of the trap hole, Link led them across the room and towards the hallway. They passed the severed Twili heads again and were finally back in the first room that they had been in. Link took out his sword because he thought that the stalfos knight would still be here. However he was proven wrong as the stalfos knight was no where to be found. This was odd as he didn't defeat it. Perhaps the first Twili they had freed had destroyed it? Satisfied that the Stalfos knight was gone, Link put his sword away and led Zelda and Midna up the stairs that led to the big black Throne Room door. When the three of them were at the top, Link walked over to the pole with the tray on it and took out the two orbs he had found. He put the first one he had found in the fourth hole in the tray that was designed for it. The orb stuck in its place and started glowing just as the other four had before it. Link turned his attention to the big black door and saw that another word had joined the previous three. The door now read ALL SHALL KNEEL BEFORE.

"Thousand rupees says the next word that will appear is GANONDORF," said Link. He then put the last orb in its spot and it started glowing just like the other ones. Link turned his attention to the door and saw that it read ALL SHALL KNEEL BEFORE GANON. The door then started shaking and the doors opened wide.

"Looks like you lose," said Zelda coyly as she and Midna went ahead of Link into the room that was just revealed. Link stood there annoyed that he was wrong but he shrugged it off and followed Zelda and Midna into the throne room.

The throne room was a magnificent room. The room was a huge square shape. The throne was at the end of the room and was rather small looking because of how high the ceiling was. On the walls to Link's right and left hand sides, there were clear windows that gave them a nice view of the outskirts of Rhuyle. The walls were a deep black color with the same markings that were prevalent in all of the Twili buildings. Midna flew over to the throne so Link and Zelda followed her. Link walked across the room with his head looking all around at the extravagant details of the place such as rare pottery, jewels for decorations and statues of what looked like previous Twili rulers.

Midna, Link and Zelda all crowed around the thrown because that's where Midna flew.

"Midna, where is the magic book? I thought you said it was here," asked Zelda.

"It's here. It's just that it's hidden," said Midna distractedly. She was investigating the back of the throne is if looking for something.

"Ah! Here it is! The incantation to reveal the magic book," exclaimed Midna. She then flew in front of the throne, closed her eyes and spoke some weird words in what must have been the Twili language. She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. Link looked up there too, expecting something to happen. Situated in the middle of the room was a giant ladder that rose up all the way to the ceiling. At the top of the ceiling was another trap door that they had to go up. Link sighed. He had had enough trap doors for awhile.

"Midna, we have to go up another ladder?" asked Link.

"Yup. The part of the tower that the book is situated in is sealed off to anyone who doesn't know the secret incantation. I marked it on the back of the throne using magic so only I can see it," answered Midna excitedly.

Midna flew up the ladder and then looked down, waiting for Link and Zelda to come up.

"Hurry up you two! We haven't got any time to waste!" yelled Midna.

"We're coming! After you, Zelda," said Link gesturing with his hands towards the ladder. Zelda rolled her eyes and started climbing up the ladder with Link following right behind her. Zelda's foot slipped a couple times and she almost fell down but both times she managed to right herself and climb up the ladder without trouble. When Link and Zelda had finally reached Midna, Midna opened the trapdoor and flew in the room with Link and Zelda following her.

When Link and Zelda got up into the room, they found it was pitch black. Link sighed and took out his lantern. Suddenly the whole room was illuminated. The room was just big enough for Link and Zelda to fit inside standing up. A couple feet in front of them was a stand with a book on top. The book was a black color and had gold-colored pages. It had the Twili symbol on it in red coloring. Link put the lantern on the floor and grabbed the book in his hands. He felt a strange radiating power coming from it. This book held all the ancient spells of the Twili people.

"Here, Link, give that to me," commanded Midna. Link gave Midna the book and she opened the pages. She frantically searched for one specific page. When she found the page she was looking for, she looked relieved.

"Ok, this page is still here. I would have thought that if Ganondorf found it, he would have ripped it out," said a very relieved Midna. "Ok we need to leave now. We have to get out of the Twilight Realm while we have the book," ordered Midna. Link and Zelda nodded and started walking towards the trap door again. Zelda went down first and when she was out of sight, Link put his lantern back in his pocket, got on the ladder and started climbing down it. Before he lost sight of the room however, he saw Midna doing something strange. She was flipping back towards the page that she had opened to before and placed some kind of spell on it by waving her hands.

"Ok. I've prepared this page for Ganondorf," said Midna with a smile. Link made nothing of it and continued climbing down the ladder and met Zelda at the bottom. When Link and Zelda were back on the floor, Midna came flying out of the room holding the book.

"Here Link. I want you to hold onto the book. You're the strongest out of the three of us and will be able to protect the book the most," said Midna holding out the book for Link. Link took it and held it in his right hand.

"Midna, what are we going to do once we get back to the Light Realm with the book?" asked Zelda.

"I don't know. But right now the most important thing for us to do is to get it away from Ganondorf," said Midna.

The three of them started walking towards the door that they came in through. Link opened the door and let the way down the stairs as they entered the first room. As they came to the front door, Link took one last look at the castle. He looked back to the door, opened it and went outside thinking that if he never set foot in this castle again, that would be just fine by him.

**Next Chapter: Race to the Light Realm**


	19. Chapter 19: Race to the Light Realm

**Author's Note: For those of you who haven't already noticed, I changed my name. I was getting tired of my name and changed it to something unique. Anyway here is chapter 19. It may seem like a letdown after the last chapter but hey not every chapter can be 14,000 words long. Enjoy!**

Chapter 19: Race to the Light Realm

Link, Zelda and Midna emerged from the Twilight Castle and were back in the streets of Rhuyle. Link closed the doors behind him as he was the last one out holding the ancient book of Twili magic. Zelda and Midna made their way down the stairs in front of the castle while Link stayed back to make sure he had a good grip on the book and it wasn't in a place where it could slip out from under his arm. Once he made sure his grip on the book was secure, Link started stepping down the stairs slowly. Halfway down the stairs, his foot missed the next step and he tripped, ending up face-first in the ground in front of the stairs. Zelda and Midna hurried over to Link to make sure he was ok, both with faces full of concern.

"Are you alright?" asked Zelda.

"Yeah, I just tripped. I'll be fine, just give me a couple of minutes," responded Link as he sat up straight on the ground. Just then, a shadow covered the three of them in darkness. It looked to be a man's shadow and it appeared to be right in front of them. Zelda and Midna turned around while Link looked straight ahead of him to see what the source of this shadow was.

The owner of this shadow was none other than Ganondorf himself. He was standing right in the direction that Zelda and Midna had been walking in before Link tripped. Ganondorf looked exactly the way Link remembered him during their duel in the Mirror Chamber. He was wearing the exact same gold, silver and blue armor that he had worn both times he had faced Link. The scar from the sage's sword was gone but there was a new glistening white scar on his chest from when the Master Sword had pierced his chest. Link hadn't seen it when he was addressing the Twili but now that he was close up, it was plain as day. Ganondorf started laughing.

"Hahahahahaha! I was right to wait here for you three! Letting you three do the work for me was the best idea I've ever had. You've done well for me so far. Now I'll just be taking that book off your hands. My mirror can't work without it you see," Ganondorf said smugly.

"Not a chance!" yelled Link as he drew his sword with his left hand and clutched the magic book tighter with his right.

"Please. Save yourself the trouble and just give up. You are no match for me," sneered Ganondorf at Link.

"Don't you dare let Ganondorf have that book!" Midna screamed. Link looked and was at a total loss for words. Midna looked like she had gone crazy. She had the most disturbing look on her face that Link had ever seen her have. She had nothing but pure rage and hatred for Ganondorf right now and it was evident by the death stare she was giving him. She looked like she could explode at any given moment.

"Ah, Midna. I believe I had the pleasure of stripping you of all your power and banishing you from this place. How dare you show your face here where you're not wanted," taunted Ganondorf.

"How dare you act as if what you did was good for this city! You stole my people from me and I will never forgive you. I saw what goes on in the basement underneath this castle. You are a despicable man and should be ashamed to call yourself King of Twilight!" retorted Midna.

"What I do is necessary. It's to prevent fools like you from interfering with myself. Mindless idiots who think they know better than me in leading a whole city. You lost your city because you don't have what it takes to be a leader. You have no spine and deserve what you got," spat Ganondorf.

This last exchange was too much for Midna. She let out a roar of rage and flew towards Ganondorf. She spread her arms wide and they started glowing with a mysterious green energy. Her pupils disappeared and her eyes were a pure bright white color. She had a look of hatred and looked like she wanted nothing but to inflict only the very worst of pain against Ganondorf. She picked up speed until she reached Ganondorf who promptly slapped Midna away like a fly. Midna hit the ground with a thud and looked disoriented. Ganondorf smirked and turned to Link.

"Now that your little friend is dealt with, we have matters to discuss. You have in your possession something that I need and I'm getting impatient. So I'm going to ask you one more time. Give. Me. That. Book," Ganondorf said his smile starting to disappear.

"You'll never get this book!" cried Link prepared for battle while still holding the book under his right arm. Ganondorf sighed and shook his head.

"You'll regret making that choice," he said. Suddenly his eyes glowed and a blinding white light filled the area, forcing Link to shield his eyes with his arm holding his sword. When Link was able to see and open his eyes, Ganondorf was standing a few inches in front of him. Ganondorf made a fist, reared back and delivered a punishing blow to Link's stomach. Link dropped the book and his sword due to his pain but did not fall to the ground. He did not want to give Ganondorf the satisfaction. Ganondorf picked up the book and started walking away. Looking back on Link, Zelda and Midna, he gave them a smirk.

"Maybe now you will see that you are no match for me. It would hardly be worth my effort to finish you off now. Be grateful that I am sparing your life for now," said Ganondorf and with one more smirk, he starting walking away and was gone just like that. Zelda ran over to Link.

"Are you ok?" asked Zelda.

"I'm fine. The only thing damaged is my pride," answered Link still clutching his stomach. He stood still for a minute, trying to tolerate the pain. The pain dissipated after a few minutes and Link was able to stand up without hunching over.

"All that work searching the castle for nothing…" said a disappointed Midna. She had recovered from her disorientation from being attacked by Ganondorf and looked to be back to normal.

"Now Ganondorf will be able to attack the Light Realm," said Link also disappointed.

"Well, we'll have to hurry won't we?" asked Midna.

"What are you talking about Midna? We'll never make it back to the portal in time," said a confused Link as Midna continued to float over to where he and Zelda were standing.

"I put a spell on the page that contains the spell that Ganondorf needs. As soon as he opens up to that page, the page will become blank for five hours. That'll give us enough time to get back to the Light Realm and warn everyone," explained Midna.

"Really? We have to hurry then!" exclaimed an excited Link. He had a new sense of hope. He walked over and picked up his sword and put it away. He then took out his spinner, got on and motioned for Zelda to get on with him.

"Come on Zelda, we have to hurry!" pleaded Link with urgency in his voice. Zelda got on top of the spinner and grabbed Link's shoulders. Midna followed her and flew under Link to become his shadow. Link pulled the lever down on the spinner and the three of them were off. Link was in the front and led the way for the spinner. They were traveling down the streets of Rhuyle at a fast pace. The buildings looked a lot less menacing now that the three of them were traveling by them at fast speeds. They had been traveling for a couple of minutes when Zelda pulled at Link's sleeve.

"Link, we're being chased by shadow beasts," Zelda said. Link glanced over his shoulder and saw that Zelda was right. Five shadow beasts were running after them on all fours. The shadow beasts were surprisingly fast as they were actually gaining on the spinner.

"Here. Take my bow and shoot them down," commanded Link without looking at Zelda. He took out his bow and handed it to Zelda. Zelda looked confused.

"Me? You're a much better shot than me," protested Zelda.

"I have to steer the spinner. You're not that bad a shot. You did well shooting Ganondorf with light arrows during the battle. Just concentrate," said Link as they steered out of the way of a Ganondorf statue.

Zelda sighed and took the bow in her hands. She almost lost balance now that she wasn't holding onto Link's shoulders, but she stood her ground and took aim at the shadow beasts. She shot at one of the shadow beasts but the arrow soared above it as her aim was too high. Frustrated with herself, Zelda took out another arrow and aimed for the shadow beast. Zelda shot at it but just as she shot at it, Link had to make a sharp turn and Zelda's aim was thrown off so much that the arrow that she shot was completely off and went to the far left of any of the shadow beasts. As Link, Zelda and Midna were now in the middle of Rhuyle and approaching the city square, the shadow beasts were getting closer.

The shadow beasts' getting closer was actually helpful to Zelda in the sense that she had bigger targets now. Zelda took out another arrow and aimed at the shadow beasts. She shot the arrow and the arrow connected with a shadow beast. The arrow pierced the shadow beast's neck and it fell to the ground and was left in the dust of the spinner and the other shadow beasts.

Pleased with herself, Zelda took out another arrow and aimed at another shadow beast. She fired and this arrow again hit a shadow beast in the neck. This second shadow beast was dead and laid limp on the ground while the other three kept up their pursuit of the spinner. The three of them had just passed the city square and Link had to swerve to the right to avoid running into the fountain that was there.

The three of them were now on the second half of the journey to the portal and Zelda still had three shadow beasts to kill. She glanced at the scenery around her to make sure that there were no sharp turns coming. Once she saw that their path was mostly linear as of now, she took another arrow and aimed it at a shadow beast. She fired and the arrow hit the shadow beast head on, piercing its neck. Two shadow beasts remained as the one who had just perished fell to the wayside and was quickly out of sight.

Zelda was happy with herself but she still kept focused on her task at hand. She had connected with three straight arrows and she was feeling more and more comfortable with shooting arrows while moving at these high speeds. She aimed once more at a shadow beast and shot but a sudden change in position threw her aim off and the arrow shot high above the shadow beast. Link had taken this opportunity to go through a dark alley and jump high above a fence and the sudden jump threw Zelda's aim off.

A little frustrated with Link, Zelda took out another arrow. Zelda realized as she counted the remaining arrows in Link's quiver that he only had six more. She would have to have perfect aim. Taking one of those six, she took aim with Link's bow once again. She shot and the arrow pierced the throat of another one of the shadow beasts. The shadow beast fell to the ground just as the others did and was no more. One shadow beast remained.

However the shadow beast that remained was now very close to Zelda. It was about six feet away and was slowly gaining ground. Zelda took aim at the shadow beast but then stopped and turned to Link.

"Link, could you make this thing go faster? Just to put some distance between myself and the last shadow beast?" asked Zelda.

"Ok, hold on!" yelled Link. She pulled the lever forward and the spinner sped up. With the spinner going even faster, the shadow beast was being left behind. Zelda took aim at the shadow beast again and fired the arrow. The arrow pierced the shadow beast's throat just as the previous arrows had. Zelda cheered and faced Link again.

"All the shadow beasts are gone! You can stop going so fast now!" Zelda yelled. The sound of the spinner flying through the city coupled with the blowing wind made it difficult to communicate.

"Nah I like going this fast!" Link yelled back mischievously. Zelda was worried and instinctively grabbed onto Link's shoulders once again and screamed as he put the spinner at its maximum speed. Zelda held onto Link very tightly as she guessed that they were going at least one hundred miles per hour.

They were coming up to the end of the city and Link and Zelda could start to see the purple portal. Link slowed down once they were starting to approach it. When the three of them got to the portal, Link, Zelda and Midna got off of the spinner and Link put it away. Midna and Zelda led the way as the three of them stepped into the portal. When they came out, they were back in the familiar dark wood enclosing known as Faron Woods.

When Link stepped out of the portal, he stopped to breathe in the scent of Faron Woods. He was glad to be back in the Light Realm that he loved so much. Being in the Twilight Realm for so long almost made him forget how beautiful the Light Realm was. The scenery was a pleasant change than the scenery in the Twilight Realm. Instead of pitch black buildings and alleys everywhere, they were surrounded by fresh grass, tall trees and lots of beautiful plants. The evil atmosphere that plagued the Twilight Realm was also no longer felt in this place. It was replaced with a calmness and coolness that made Link want to just stretch down on the ground and gaze up at the treetops.

Link could not fulfill his wishes however. The three of them had to get going. Link started running through the woods, avoiding the roots that were plentiful from all the trees. The poisonous fog that plagued the woods most of the time was absent so the three of them reached the cave that connected Faron Woods to Ordon in a matter of minutes. Link was the first one to reach the cave and when he was inside he started sprinting. They had to warn everyone of the impending attack.

**Next Chapter: Warning the Others**


	20. Chapter 20: Warning the Others

**Author's Note: This chapter took longer than I thought it would, considering it's a non-dungeon chapter but finally, it is done. Unique to this chapter so far is that it is the first to contain parts that are not told in Link's perspective. I won't say who though as it would spoil things. Enjoy and feel free to post your thoughts good or bad.**

Chapter 20: Warning the Others

The cave that connected Faron Woods with Ordon was dimly lit as usual. However compared to some of the dark places that Link had been in during his stay in the Twilight Realm, the cave was positively blinding. The torches that were scattered around the cave were lit, giving the cave light and preventing it from being completely dark. Link, Zelda and Midna traversed the cave, looking out for any of the monsters that usually roamed the inside of the cave. The trek through the tunnels of the cave was a short one as there were no attacks by any beasts or bats. As the tunnel twisted and turned, the three of them made a sharp left turn and were greeted with a dim light that was coming from the outside. Link led Zelda and Midna outside and the three of them were once again in the fresh air of the Ordona Providence.

When the three of them were outside the cave and in the sunshine again, Link took the time to look at the familiar surroundings of Faron Woods. Link was glad to be back in the presence of familiar surroundings instead of the always unfamiliar territory of the Twilight Realm. It gave him a sense of security that had been absent for quite a while.

"Midna, can you teleport us to Kakariko Village using the Twilight wormholes?" asked Link.

"Sure, just don't be surprised when you guys turn into a wolf and owl," Midna said as she smiled. She then twirled her hands and made to turn the two of them into shadow squares and send them towards the Twili portals that were scattered around Hyrule. However a bunch of seconds passed and Link and Zelda still had not transformed into their respective Twilight forms.

"Something's wrong. I can't access the Twilight portals. They seem to be closed off," Midna said both surprised and confused. Zelda looked crestfallen and Link annoyed but something caught Link's eye. There were fresh horseshoe prints that made dents in the grass. That could only mean one thing; Epona was nearby.

Link looked around the grass again and found what he was looking for. He took a specifically shaped blade of grass and stuck it in between his fingers. Bringing it to his face, he blew on it and produced a lovely melody that engulfed the air with its soft calmness. Out from the direction of Ordon Spring came the sound of hooves hitting ground. Coming into view was Link's trusted horse Epona. Epona ran over to Link and gave him an excited lick on the nose.

Link patted Epona on the head and helped Zelda get on top of her. Once Zelda was secure on top of Epona, Link jumped on and Midna flew under Link to become his shadow again. Link had Epona turn right towards the route that led to Hyrule Field. They passed Coro the lantern salesman's house and as they passed, Coro looked up hopefully but brought it back down in disappointment as Epona galloped past while Link and Zelda paid him no attention.

As they entered Hyrule Field, Link had a sudden thought.

"Midna," Link said suddenly and Midna came out from under Link to talk to him face to face. "Why doesn't Ganondorf just send his army through the portal that he created when he banished you? It seems like a lot of trouble to go through to make this new mirror when there's a perfectly good portal ready for use," asked Link, voicing his confusion. Midna looked down for a second as if pondering Link's question. While Midna thought about her answer, the three of them had turned left and were coming up on Kakariko Gorge.

"That's a good question. It seems odd that Ganondorf would completely disregard that portal that he himself created. But you need to understand that Ganondorf is an incredibly proud individual. Maybe he thinks the portal too contaminated for his use when we used it? Maybe he doesn't feel like a tiny little portal is worth using for his entire army? Or maybe he just forgot about it," suggested Midna. It seems like she was intrigued by this question and was continuing to ponder it.

Link was worried that they were taking too long. They were just at Kakariko Gorge right now and they were running out of time and needed to go faster. So Link kicked Epona's sides and sped her up so that she was in a full out run. With Epona running like someone was chasing them, the three of them reached Kakariko Village in no time. Arriving in between the mountains that surrounded the village, Link, Zelda and Midna made themselves known with the loud sound of hooves galloping towards the village. Getting off of Epona, Link and Zelda sprinted towards Renado, Colin and Ilia who were outside watering Renado's yard as Midna flew under Link again to become his shadow.

"Renado, where are Rusl and Bo?" asked Zelda. Ilia and Colin looked back and forth between Link and Zelda's very solemn and serious faces and could tell that something serious was going on.

"Bo is in the Kakariko Village Hotel and Rusl is meeting with Barnes in his bomb shop. The man has seem to take a liking to bombs and how they work. Why do you ask?" asked Renado with a smile but he quickly turned it into a frown.

"We have urgent matters to discuss. And when I say urgent it couldn't be more the truth. We need to speak to them as quickly as possible," explained Zelda in a serious tone.

"Ilia, Colin, would you go bring your dads here?" asked Renado while still looking at Link and Zelda seriously. Colin and Ilia both nodded and ran to where their dads were, Ilia to the hotel and Colin to Barnes' Bomb Shop.

"So why do you want to see Bo and Rusl?" asked Renado.

"We'll explain everything once they get here," answered Link while looking down the street, waiting for Rusl and Bo to come out. Link heard the sound of two doors opening and saw Bo and Rustl being led over to where they were standing by Ilia and Colin respectively. Rusl and Bo looked confused and when they were by Renado, Link and Zelda, looked at them as if expecting one of them to talk.

"Well, what's this urgent news that you have?" asked Rusl.

"Why don't we discuss this inside," suggested Renado. Everyone nodded and Renado opened his door. Colin and Ilia made to follow them when Bo put his hand up.

"Ilia, this doesn't concern you or Colin. Wait outside for us," said Bo. Ilia looked furious at her father and looked to be on the verge of yelling at him. Colin looked dejected.

"No Bo. They can come in too. They have a right to know what's going on too," interjected Zelda looking back at the two of them. Ilia and Colin both looked thrilled and followed Zelda and Bo inside. Once they were inside, everyone gathered around a table that was in the center of the room. Link was the first one to sit down and everyone followed suit with Ilia and Zelda taking the chairs opposite him. Once everyone was situated, they all stared at Zelda and Link. Zelda cleared her throat, and began.

"Well now that we're all here, let's get down to business," began Zelda. "I'm going to get straight to the point. Hyrule is going to be attacked by a tribe known as the Twili. These creatures reside in the Twilight Realm, an alternate dimension that once threatened to engulf Hyrule eight months ago. The Twili used to be a calm race but now under the leadership of Ganonodorf, they have become ruthless and violent," explained Zelda in a calm but hasty tone.

"Wait a minute. I thought that Ganondorf was defeated by Link?" asked a confused Rustl.

"He was. However the same bandit tribe that attacked Ordon Village revived Ganondorf at Arbiter's Grounds," explained Zelda.

"This sounds serious. What do you purpose we do?" asked Renado. Bo, Ilia and Colin turned towards him as he spoke and then turned to Zelda to await her answer.

"My suggestion would be to head inside and take cover. However we also need people to fight for us so any who are willing should prepare for battle," responded Zelda.

"That's all good and all…but there's not many fighters in this village. It's basically just me, Colin, Link and Bo," responded Rustl.

"What about the Gorons? They are nearby and probably would be very willing to help," chimed in Ilia. This was the first time she had spoke at all as she had been listening back in forth as everyone talked.

"Hm…That is an interesting proposal. If we can get the Gorons to help us in this fight, they will be greatly appreciated," said an intrigued Zelda.

"Well then, me and Zelda will go up to Death Mountain and try to persuade the Gorons to help us protect Kakariko Village," said Link starting to get up. Zelda followed suit and the two of them were about to leave the hut when Colin stood up.

"Wait Link. I'll go to Death Mountain. You two would be wasting lots of valuable time climbing the mountain to warn the Gorons when you can use that time to go to Zora's Domain and Castle Town to warn the others," Colin said in a rush.

"Colin, sit down! Don't tell Link and Princess Zelda what they should be doing!" snapped Rusl. Colin blushed and sat down quickly with a frustrated look on his face. Link thought he heard Colin mutter furiously under his breath.

"Thank you for your concern Colin but Link and I must go. The Goron Elders are very familiar with Link and myself, making formalities unnecessary. This will make meeting with them not last as long and will allow us more time to warn other people," explained Zelda gently. Colin still looked a little annoyed.

Link and Zelda opened the door of the hut and walked back outside to Kakariko Village. One look at the sky above told Link that Ganondorf was getting closer to completing the Mirror of Twilight. The sky had become a heavy grayish color with thick white clouds appearing in huge patches. The wind around the village had also picked up as leaves were being thrown across the dirt road repeatedly. Link turned to Zelda.

"How much time do you think has passed?" asked Link with a worried face.

"Well let's see," said Zelda as she reached for something that was inside her shirt. She took out a small hourglass that was wrapped around her neck. Link had not noticed this at all and Zelda must have done it when he wasn't looking. He noticed that a significant portion of the hourglass was gone. "According to my hourglass, approximately one hour and forty minutes have passed since we entered the Light Realm and Midna said that there would be five hours until Ganondorf is able to see the page."

"Is that accurate though?" asked Midna from Link's shadow. She did not actually become corporeal but she still made a voice.

"Well I created it as soon as we entered the Light Realm so it might be off by a little bit. However I took into account the amount of time we spent racing towards the portal and compared it to the likely amount of time it would take Ganondorf to realize the page was enchanted and figured that they would be about the same. After all, I don't think Ganondorf would immediately open up the page because he had just overpowered us and thought that he won. His own arrogance is helping us," explained Zelda. Link was satisfied with Zelda's reasoning and since Midna said nothing in response, she appeared to be as well.

Link took out his spinner and motioned for Zelda to get on. Zelda climbed on top of the spinner and grabbed onto Link's shoulders. Link had the spinner start going down the dirt road at a modest pace and had it turned slightly to the left to line it up with the path to Death Mountain.

The two of them traveled through the valley between the two mountains that surrounded Kakariko Village and approached the cliff that served as a barrier between Death Mountain and Kakariko Village. To reach Death Mountain, one had to climb up the fragile iron fence that covered the cliff. Link did not slow down as he approached this cliff however as he had other plans.

"Link, you can slow down now. We have to climb the gate to get to Death Mountain," said an uncomfortable Zelda. She did not like the fact that Link was not slowing down as he got to the gate. Link responded with a smirk.

"Not necessarily," he answered with a devilish smile. He sped up the spinner even more and made a sharp right, heading towards the rock wall on the cliff's right. Zelda grabbed Link's shoulders even harder to prevent herself from falling off of the spinner. Link reached the rocks and had the spinner climb up the wall in a horizontal position. The spinner was soon over the cliff that blocked their way to Death Mountain and they were able to get on the path again. Zelda remained holding onto Link's shoulders, afraid that he might do something reckless again.

"Why couldn't we have just climbed up the fence?" asked Zelda.

"It would take up too much time. You saw how much time we've used up already. We need to get to Death Mountain as soon as possible. Zelda couldn't argue with his reasoning although she wished he'd take a different approach of putting it to action.

The two of them had arrived in the section of land right before Death Mountain. It was mainly a stretch of dirt surrounded by rock walls. However there were two strange square holes in the wall surrounded by metal that Link had noticed on his previous trips to Death Mountain but never explored. Link never gave them another shot as he and Zelda flew by on the spinner and were quickly past this section of land. Once they flew down the stone steps that they encountered, they were at the base of Death Mountain.

Link helped Zelda off of the spinner and the two of them started walking along the path to Death Mountain. In front of them were a couple of very tough looking Gorons. The two of them seemed to have been arguing about something when Link and Zelda walked up to them. The Gorons turned towards them and fixed the two of them with a stare as if they had interrupted something important. However realization soon formed on their faces as they noticed who Link and Zelda were.

"OH! Link and Princess Zelda! What can we Gorons do for you?" asked the Goron on the left.

"Do you think that if you two combined your strength, you could send us flying to the top of Death Mountain?" asked Link.

"Hahaha I don't think so Brother. However we would probably be able to get you halfway up the mountain towards the platforms that lead to Death Mountain," answered the Goron on the right.

"Ok that's fine. Can we go now?" asked Link.

"Sure Brother. You and Princess Zelda climb on our hands," ordered the Goron on the right again. The two Gorons then put their hands next to each other on the ground, waiting for Link and Zelda to step on their hands. Zelda was apprehensive about stepping on the Goron's hands at first but soon put her fear aside in light of the circumstances. Link followed her, grabbed her hand and then braced himself to get thrown through the air. The Gorons made a roar and brought their hands up quickly, heaving Link and Zelda over their heads.

The two of them were flying through the air towards the middle of the mountain. Link quickly pulled out his clawshot and shot it at an iron pole that was sticking out of the side of the platform that they were on. The clawshot brought them to the pole and Link grabbed the pole with his hand that wasn't holding Princess Zelda's hand. Link adjusted his holding of Zelda so that he was supporting her entire body with his hand. Holding onto Zelda and not allowing her to slip from his grasp, Link slid down the pole until they were safely down on the ground.

The two of them regained their balance and were able to walk again. Link led Zelda up the large metal steps towards the entrance to Death Mountain. They went up three sets of these steps and were soon in front of an opening that led inside the mountain. When Link in Zelda got inside, they were faced with a dimly lit room made out of the inside of the mountain. The walls were made of rock and the floor was made out of stone. In the middle of the room stood a lone sumo-wrestling mat that Link was all too familiar with. It was on that mat that he had wrestled the Goron Elder to gain access to Goron Mines.

In this room were five Gorons. These were the Goron Elders that resided in Death Mountain and led the Goron tribe. Four of the Gorons were all medium-sized while the fifth and most impressive-looking one towered over the rest of them. His name was Darbus and was the leader of the tripe. Darbus was much more muscular than the others all the while looking like he was the least intelligent of the group. Normally Link would find this odd but knowing that the Gorons valued strength over everything else, it was not that surprising.

As Link and Zelda walked towards them, they all stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the two of them with great interest. Link noticed their eyes flicker to Zelda as they were obviously shocked that she was here without any warning. Darbus stepped forward to greet them.

"Princess Zelda and Link. What a surprise it is for you to visit us Gorons. What can we do for you two?" asked Darbus with his arms lifted out on either side of his body.

"I'm afraid we come here on very serious terms. You see, Hyrule is going to be attacked. The attack will be led by a Gerudo named Ganondorf however the bulk of the attack will be from creatures known as Twili. Normally Twili have black bodies with white underbellies and green markings all over their bodies. However it is extremely likely that Ganondorf has transformed them into shadow beasts making them even more ruthless and beast-looking," explained Zelda.

"How long do we have to prepare?" asked Gor Coron. Gor Coron was standing next to Darbus and had been listening to Zelda's explanation with a hint of fear in his eyes. Zelda took out her hourglass and checked.

"Approximately two hours. It would help if you could station your troops at Kakariko Village to help the villagers as there's not many fighters down there," answered Zelda.

"Of course. We'll get started right away," said Darbus.

"Ok. If you'll excuse us, we have to get to Zora's Domain," said Zelda. She walked over to where Link was standing and the two of them left the cave and were back outside Death Mountain. Once outside, Zelda turned to Link with a worried expression on her face.

"Do you think we'll be able to make it to Zora's Domain and then back to Castle Town?" she asked.

"I think it'll be close but we'll make it in time. We warned the Gorons so we have to warm the Zora's don't we?" responded Link.

"I don't know. Zora's wouldn't be as useful as Gorons in combat so it's only natural to warn Gorons," countered Zelda.

"Zelda, everybody deserves to know about this attack, including the Zoras," Link said hotly. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Zelda was prepared to leave an entire species in the dark about this life-threatening attack.

"I know. I'm just concerned that we won't make it in time. However we will accomplish nothing if we stand here arguing so let's go. Please don't misunderstand my intentions," pleaded Zelda as she seemed to read Link's mind.

Link figured that Zelda was sincere so he pulled out his spinner and the two of them got on. Link started the spinner and led it down the mountain. He jumped down the ledges onto the side of the mountain. He steered the spinner past where the hot spring was on the mountain. His plan was to make it to the rock ledge and jump across the bottom of the mountain and continue his journey uninterrupted. In preparation for this plight, he sped up the spinner as the two of them crossed the ledge. Link then leapt the spinner, flew across the valley below and landed on the rock ledge with a thump. Link could feel Zelda shaking as she must have been scared of their plight.

He led the spinner quickly down the rock slope that they came up on, picking up speed the farther that they went. Link had to maneuver away from a couple of huge rocks so that he wouldn't send the spinner flying off of its course. He could see the end of the path and Kakariko Village but they still had to deal with the huge jump that would occur once they got to the next ledge. He bent his knees as the two of them sped towards the ledge and once they got there, sent the spinner flying towards Kakariko Village as they were sent soaring in the air. Once they hit the ground, Link sent the spinner right so they could get to Renado's hut and change to Epona. They started to slow down as the passed Barnes' Bomb Shop and when they got to Renado's hut, came to a complete stop. Waiting for them there were Renado, Ilia, Colin, Rusl and Bo.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry Link?" asked Ilia.

"We're going to Zora's Domain to warn the Zora's of the attack. We already warned the Gorons and they're sending Gorons here to help out defend the place," said Link quickly.

"That's good news. However is it wise for you two would go to Zora's Domain? Why doesn't one of us go?" asked Renado.

"It would give the theory more credibility seeing as the Princess of Hyrule and the Hero of Twilight are the ones telling them of this news," said Zelda. She smiled at Link, knowing that this is the first time that anyone's called him "Hero of Twilight".

"Zelda, you're forgetting that Link helped save Rallis' life so if we just say that we know Link, he'll probably consider the problem legitimate," chimed in Ilia.

"That's a good point Ilia. Would you like to partake in this task? If I remember correctly, you played a big part in saving his life too so I'm sure he'll remember you," asked Zelda kindly.

"No. She needs to stay here where it's safe. I'll go myself and warn Prince Ralis. I'm not much of a fighter anymore anyway," interrupted Bo before Ilia could say anything. Colin looked disappointed. It appeared as if he was going to volunteer but Bo beat him to it.

"That is wise. Rusl can you help me prepare the villagers here for battle?" asked Renado turning to Rustl.

"Sure thing. Ilia can you watch Colin and make sure he's safe?" asked Rusl looking at Ilia.

"You can count on me Rusl," Ilia responded while she ruffled Colin's hair. Colin pouted and knocked Ilia's hand off his head.

"Ok it seems everything is all settled here. Link and I have to go to Castle Town and round up the Hyrulean Army. Good luck to you all," said Zelda and she and Link headed towards Epona. The two of them got on and Link had Epona run through Kakariko Village and towards western Hyrule Field. Epona gained speed as they headed towards the valley that lay before Hyrule Field. They arrived and headed towards the entrance to Castle Town that lay in the west. However when they got there, they noticed that their progress was being blocked by several dozen hooded figures riding horses. They were dressed in all black. The bandits of Gerudo Desert had assembled there and were blocking their path. Link brought Epona to a screeching halt as Link and Zelda stared down the crowd of bandits. They were outnumbered at least seventy to one.

"Link, what're we going to do? We can't take on all of them," asked a worried Zelda.

"We'll have to retreat and take the path to the south entrance of Castle Town," conceded Link As he said this, one of the bandits had his horse trot forward a couple of steps and removed his hood so he could speak to them.

"If you try and escape, we will hunt you down. You will fight us and we will win. We will take revenge for what happened to Gorker," said the bandit that had appeared. "You are outnumbered by a great amount. There's no possible way for you to win." Link had to admit that the bandit was right. The situation seemed hopeless right now. There was no where to go, no one to help them and nothing to do.

Suddenly Link heard the sound of a horn. Link looked around and was instantly filled with dread. Coming from the Bridge of Eldin was none other than King Bulbin and his following of bublins riding bulbos. They came up and all lined up directly behind Epona, blocking off Link's exit. The bulbins and bandits looked to have about the same amount of units to attack. Link didn't know what to do. He was surrounded on all sides with no possible route to escape with over one hundred bulbins and bandits ready to attack him. King Bulbin had his armored bulbo come up right next to Link. Looking at him with its scaly armored head, he spoke.

"I fight for the strongest side. Right now that you. Escape and we fight them," spoke King Bulbin. Link's heart leapt. The bulbins were actually here to fight for him.

"Ok. We need to make an escape. Can you hold them off while we head for Castle Town?" asked Link. King Bulbin nodded his head. "Great. We'll be going then." Link had Epona turn around and duck around the bulbin army and head towards Kakariko Village. Behind him he heard King Bulbin blow into his horn again and the bulbins and bandits charged at each other. Link never looked back and had Epona charge into Kakariko Village.

As Link passed the path that led to Death Mountain, he caught a glimpse of dozens of Gorons coming down the path all looking ready for battle. Link had Epona go through Kakariko Village and turn left at the fairy spring, sending them into Southern Hyrule Field. Epona dashed along the dirt road and then made a hard left into the center of the field, heading towards the southern Castle Town entrance.

Link kicked Epona into high gear as she sprinted towards the stairs that led to castle town. When Epona was right in front of these stairs, Link had her stop. He slid off of Epona with Zelda right behind him.

"Zelda where are we going?" asked Link. He fell back so Zelda could lead the way.

"To Telma's Bar," panted Zelda as she ran forward and led the way up the stone steps, past the fountain in front of the entrance, and finally, into southern Castle Town. This entrance to Castle Town is useful because it is almost right next to Telma's Bar. Link and Zelda need only pass the Goron selling hot spring water and make a left and they were already at Telma's Bar. The two of them walked down the stone steps and came to a door that was made completely of gray stone. Link opened the door and they both went inside.

Inside they found Auru, Ashei and Shad all sitting at the table in the back of the bar with Telma at her usual spot behind the counter. Link should have known that they were going to have to come here to get the Hyrulean Army to fight. After Link defeated Ganondorf, Auru, Ashei and Shad were all named generals of the Hyrulean Army with Zelda as commander in chief. It had been Zelda's goal to totally revamp the Hyrulean Army due to their failure of protecting the castle against Zant. The result was that all previous soldiers were fired and the new Hyrulean Army was twice as efficient as before.

When the door closed, Ashei, Auru and Shad all looked up towards Link and Zelda. They had appeared to be in deep discussion. Link and Zelda walked over to them and the three of them greeted them with open arms.

"Good afternoon Princess Zelda. What can we do for you today?" asked Shad.

"Link and I have serious news. The peace of Hyrule is going to be disrupted. We will soon be waging war against the Twilight Realm. Hyrule will be attacked by Twili led by Ganondorf. He already controls the Twilight Realm but wants the Light Realm too due to his greed," Zelda explained, her face very serious.

"Twili? Are you sure? The Twili have mostly been a peaceful race for centuries. I have a hard time believing that they'd be the kind of people who would start trouble with anyone," replied Shad.

"Are you doubting Princess Zelda? What don't you understand about Ganondorf ruling the Twili? That alone should give you all the information you need!" said an angry Midna as she appeared in front of Shad with an angry expression.

"You're a Twili! I've never seen a Twili before," said an interested Shad, forgetting all seriousness of the conversation to stare and examine Midna.

"Yes we all know I'm a Twili. Now what are you going to do about Ganondorf?" asked an increasingly annoyed Midna.

"Wait a minute. Link killed Ganondorf so how is he back?" asked Auru.

"Ganondorf has been revived by a group of bandits that originated from Gerudo Desert. But there is no time. We only have…" Zelda looked at her hourglass "an hour left to prepare for the battle against the Twilight Realm. The Gorons and Zoras have both been warned so they will be alleys during our fight. What I need you three to do is to gather up the Hyrulean Army and meet Link, Midna and myself in western Hyrule Field," Zelda said to Auru, Shad and Ashei.

"You can count on us Princess!" exclaimed Ashei in a salute. The three of them then got out from their seats and walked out of the bar. Zelda then turned to Link and Midna.

"Shall we head for Hyrule Field?" asked Zelda. Midna and Link both nodded and led the way to the door. Once outside, the first thing that the three of them noticed was that it was raining. This was a rather ominous sign that Ganondorf was getting close. The wind was also becoming fierce as it was knocking items such as fruit and bags all over the place. Link, Zelda and Midna made a left after reaching the marketplace and headed for Castle Town Square. The square was filled with many people trying to take care of their business and find shelter from the rain at the same time. These people had no idea that their lives were in danger of being destroyed.

The three of them passed the fountain in the middle of the square and headed for the west path that led to western Hyrule Field. They passed the doctor's office and headed for the gates leading to Hyrule Field. They arrived and found that the battle between the bublins and bandits had finished. There were dead bodies everywhere. Link was starting to wonder why Zelda said that they should come here. The only reason Link could come up with was that Zelda somehow knew that the Twili would attack from this spot.

Link could see to his left that the Gorons had gathered at the Kakariko entrance to Hyrule Field. There was a small amount of villagers alongside the Gorons as well, all armed with weapons. Link could see Rusl and Darbus leading the way and giving directions to this group. Link, Zelda and Midna started walking towards them as they wanted to let them know that they're here. Rusl looked towards them and started walking to meet them as well. They met halfway down the bottom of the strip of land that they were on.

"Rustl, you've got all your troops ready for battle?" asked Link.

"Yup. I was able to get some villagers to come and fight. We figured that this would be the place where Ganondorf will attack since strategically, it's the best. The ground is flat, there are paths to Kakariko Village and Castle Town from here and the area is nice and wide open," explained Rustl.

"Yes that's what I thought," said Zelda. Just then Auru, Ashei and Shad came up behind them.

"We're ready for battle Princess Zelda. The army is right behind us," said Shad. Indeed, the Hyrulean Army was all ready in their armor and was marching towards where Link, Zelda, Midna, Auru, Shad and Ashei were standing. Now that the soldiers were all assembled here, the only thing to do was wait. While they were waiting, Link had a question for Auru.

"Auru have you found a location for the third Breaker Sword piece yet?" asked Link. Zelda's gaze sharply turned towards Auru.

"Yes. Have you been to the Cave of Ordeals?" asked Auru. Link was surprised at this question as it didn't really answer his.

"Yeah I've been to the Cave of Ordeals. Why?" asked Link.

"Near the Cave of Ordeals, there is a cave. The cave leads underground and straight into a labyrinth. The Breaker Sword piece is sure to be there," answered Auru.

"So the last Breaker Sword piece is in southeast Gerudo Desert? So the only way to get there is to get shot out of the cannon at Lake Hylia again?" asked Zelda annoyed.

"Zelda doesn't like getting shot out of cannons. I find it exhilarating though," commented Link. Zelda frowned at Link.

"Well it doesn't matter what you think because we have to stay here and defend Hyrule. We don't have time to go to Gerudo Desert and back," Zelda said.

"I know. I just wanted to know so that later on we know exactly where it is," said Link with his hands behind his head. Everyone turned to face the middle of the field with their heads looking at the sky, satisfied with the information about the next Breaker Sword piece.

However someone unbeknownst to the group was close by. Colin and his horse were standing maybe ten feet away from the group and had heard every bit of their conversation. When Colin had heard Zelda say that there was no time for going to get the last piece, he had his horse start running towards Kakariko Village.

_Link and Zelda can't get to the final piece. But I can. I can help._ Colin had reached Kakariko Village and started speeding down the road when his horse stopped. Someone was blocking his progress with their arms spread out at the side.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked Ilia as she stood down Colin, still with her arms outstretched.

"Ilia get out of my way! I have to get to Lake Hylia!" bellowed Colin.

"No way! Rusl put me in charge of you and I'm not letting you do something dangerous," Ilia retorted.

"Then come with me! We haven't got much time! Hyrule is going to be attacked soon and now is the perfect time to go!" yelled Colin.

"No! Why do you have to go to Lake Hylia anyway?" asked Ilia.

"So I can get to Gerudo Desert!" shouted Colin in frustration.

"Yes but why?" asked Ilia.

"To help Link!" yelled Colin in anger. Ilia's expression changed completely. Her expression was no longer hard and angry but soft and worried.

"What do you mean help Link?" asked Ilia.

"Look, I haven't got time to explain it all to you right now. If you come with me, I'll explain it on the way," Colin said in a more calmed voice. Ilia hesitated for a second as if she wasn't sure it would be worth it. After a couple of seconds of indecision, Ilia's face became more confident and she dropped her arms and climbed on top of Colin's horse.

"Ok. I'm coming with you," said Ilia. Colin then had his horse start galloping again down the road. The two of them turned left and were on their way to Lake Hylia.

**Next Chapter: The War of Realms Begins**


	21. Chapter 21: The War of Realms Begins

**Author's Note: This chapter was origininally going to be two chapters, but I couldn't find a place to break it in half so I just made it one chapter. I'm very happy with this chapter, it is definitely the most action-packed chapter of the story so far. I'm sorry for not gettting this up when I said I would but it's finally up and ready for you to enjoy. As always, feel free to leave your thoughts. I can never really know how well I'm doing without feedback.**

Chapter 21: The War of Realms Begins

"So what exactly do you mean when you say that going to Lake Hylia will help Link?" asked Ilia with a confused expression as the two of them rode along Southern Hyrule Field.

"Well it's not really Lake Hylia that is important. My true destination is the Gerudo Desert. It just so happens that going through Lake Hylia is the only way to get there," explained Colin as he led his horse down the dirt path.

"Well my question still stands, why exactly are you going there?" repeated Ilia.

"Well I don't know everything, only fuzzy details. I overheard Link and Princess Zelda talking about a third piece of some sword, I forgot the name. They were saying how they couldn't get to it because they had to defend Hyrule from the Twili attack so I decided to goget it for them," explained Colin.

"The Breaker Sword?!" exclaimed Ilia suddenly. Colin's horse almost lost track due to Ilia's sudden outburst.

"Ilia! You almost scared me half to death! Why did you have to scream like that?" asked a frustrated Colin as he steered his horse back onto the path. They turned left and were heading for the easternmost path of southern Hyrule Field. This path led to Lake Hylia.

"Sorry, it's just that what you said reminded me of the Breaker Sword," said Ilia.

"What's the Breaker Sword?" asked Colin.

"It's an ancient blade that can help Link fight evil. When I was captured, Link showed up to battle this evil guy named Ganondorf. Ganondorf was about to kill Link when him, Zelda and I were transported to the Sacred Grove. When we were there, these five sages appeared and explained that for Link to beat Ganondorf, he has to combine the power of the Master Sword with the Breaker Sword," explained Ilia. Colin appeared to be lost so Ilia added "Link did tell you about his duel with Ganondorf right?" Colin came out of his stupor and nodded.

"Yeah. I was just thinking about this Breaker Sword. If what you say is true then we're dealing with something very ancient and powerful. It sounds exciting," Colin said as the two of them entered the Lanayru Province.

"Colin I don't think you realize what is at stake here. We must succeed in getting that piece of the sword. If we don't, the world will be in great peril. Ganondorf will reign unstoppable," Ilia said with a solemn face. Colin's smile lifted and he sighed.

"Alright Ilia. I'm just glad that I can finally do something to help. Everyone was always treating me like I'm some sort of child. Before you say anything, I realize that I am still a child. But I've proven that I can be helpful in dangerous situations so I didn't approve of being ignored," Colin snapped just as Ilia was about to open her mouth. Ilia closed her mouth and laughed. The two of them traveled down the road until they came to the bridge that was over Lake Hylia. Colin stopped his horse and looked down at the Lake, puzzled.

"How are we supposed to get down? I don't see any paths or anything," asked Colin, bemused. Ilia laughed again.

"Link never told you about the guy that lives in that house over there? The only way to get down to Lake Hylia is to rent a couple of cuccos and have them fly us down there," Ilia explained with a smile on her face.

"That's stupid. Well if it's the only way, let's go," conceded Colin. He made his horse walk across the side of the bridge all the way down to the edge of the mountain where a path that led to a house was. He and Ilia both got off the horse and walked into the house. They were greeted with several cuccos and a man that was dressed like a cucco standing by the exit on the right side of the room. When the man spotted them, he looked up and clapped his hands together excitedly.

"Hello, hello, hello. Welcome to Falbi's Flight by Fowell. I'm Falbi and I live in this house. For twenty rupees each you two can catch a ride on a cucco and go down to Lake Hylia! Whatdaya say?" greeted Falbi.

"Sure. Don't worry Colin, I'll pay for both of us," said Ilia as she reached into her pocket and took out two red rupees. Falbi took them, inspected them for a second and then put them in his pocket, satisfied that they were real.

"Ok you're all paid. Feel free to pick any cuccos you want. Have a fun trip," said Falbi in an overly-enthusiastic voice. He then walked upstairs to the second floor of his house to put the money away.

Colin and Ilia took walked over to where the cuccos were and grabbed two of them, Colin a brown one, Ilia a white one. They then walked towards the ledge of Falbi's house with the cuccos flailing wildly above their heads and prepared to jump. Colin went first as he leaped out of the house into the air. After seeing Colin do it, Ilia followed and the two of them went plummeting towards the ground. They started out falling fast but once the cuccos started flapping their wings, the ride became slow and comforting.

"You know, once these things start flapping their wings, this isn't so bad. We should do this more often" called Ilia over the sound of the cuccos wailing.

"Definitely. Once this war is over, we'll have all the time in the world," Colin called back.

Ilia and Colin touched down softly and let go of the cuccos, who quickly flew away from the two of them. Ilia laughed as she saw them flail around. The two of them then looked back towards the lake and Fyer's cannon.

"So we have to get shot out of a cannon?" asked Colin.

"Yup. It's the only way to get there," answered Ilia. Colin sighed and the two of them walked across the bridge to Fyer's floating cannon. Fyer was in his usual spot of standing in front of the cannon. He looked to be staring off into space. When he heard the sound of Ilia and Colin's footsteps, he snapped to attention and smiled, delighted that two more customers had arrived. Ilia and Colin walked up to Fyer and Fyer greeted them with a warm smile.

"Welcome to Fyer's Air Fair Service. We have the normal flight and the oasis flight. The normal flight is ten rupees and the oasis flight is twenty. With the normal flight, you can fly up to that house up there," said Fyer pointing his thumb up to Falbi's house. "But with the oasis flight, you can go soaring all the way to Gerudo Desert for a mere ten more rupees," said Fyer with a grin.

"Two for the oasis flight please," said Ilia.

"That'll be forty rupees, please," said Fyer. Colin began searching his pockets for a red rupee and pulled one out after about thirty seconds worth of searching. Ilia reached into her pocket and pulled out another red rupee. The two of them gave their rupees to Fyer and he backed away from the entrance to the cannon, letting them in. Ilia and Colin walked into the cannon and waited. Fyer then crossed to the other side of the platform and wound up the rotating bar that powered the cannon. The cannon sprung to life and shot Colin and Ilia towards Gerudo Desert. They flew through the air and when they came down, they were in the very heart of the Gerudo Desert.

With rain pouring down from the sky, Link, Zelda and Midna waited in Hyrule Field for the attack they knew would come. The wind was blowing very hard now, almost sending them blown away if they didn't be careful. The sky was now very dark, with thick gray clouds blocking out the sun. Link was starting to get worried; if they had to fight the elements as well as Ganondorf, they could be in rough shape.

"Zelda, how much time is left on your hourglass?" yelled Link through the roar of the wind.

"About five minutes," called Zelda as she looked at her hourglass and put it back under her shirt. Suddenly a flash of lightning and a crash of thunder filled the sky. This was the first of the thunder and lightning that they had seen so Link figured that Ganondorf was close. This storm was getting dangerous and seemed to come out of no where which made him think that Ganondorf was behind it as if he was trying to give himself an advantage of fighting in the rain.

"Look! At the foot of the Bridge of Eldin!" called Auru pointing in that direction. Link, Zelda, Midna and the rest of the Hyrulean army all looked in that direction. A huge circular, black portal had formed in front of the bridge. It looked as if it was pulsating with purple electricity that signified that it was just created.

For a couple of moments, the portal did nothing, nothing came of it. But after a couple of suspenseful moments, the first shadow beast appeared and came running out. After it ran out, at least two hundred more followed. It appears that Ganondorf had followed Zant's tactic of turning the Twili into shadow beasts however it appeared that this time, the transformation was voluntary. They all started running towards the army. The War of Realms had begun.

"Everyone listen! On my mark, we're going to charge the shadow beasts!" called Link as he turned around to face his army. All the soldiers prepared their weapons and the Gorons cracked their knuckles in preparation for the fight. When the shadow beasts were about half way across the field, Link waved his arm forwards and led the charge into battle. Link was a little bit ahead of the army and when he got close to a shadow beast he jumped in the air and slashed a shadow beast's head off with his sword when he came down.

Running towards Link were two more shadow beasts, one from the left and one from the right. The left one jumped in the air at Link. He took out his shield and blocked the assault and the shadow beast went crashing into the ground. It quickly got up and sprang at him, so he now had one coming from the left and one from the right. Link did a spin attack and hit both of them at once, killing them as his sol-powered blade was too much for them to bear.

Looking around, Link saw that soldiers and shadow beasts were evenly matched thus far. The soldiers seemed to be holding their own, unlike when the shadow beasts first attacked eight months ago. Link's vision was blurred by the pouring rain but he could tell that the shadow beasts seemed to be shying away from him. He didn't know if it was because they remembered him, or that his sword was supercharged with the power of a sol, or that they just saw him slaughter three shadow beasts single-handedly. Whatever the case may be, the shadow beasts were focusing on the others and not him. He would just have to take the fight into his own hands.

He gripped his sword and ran towards two shadow beasts that were ganging up on a soldier. He did a jump strike on the first one, killing it instantly. However the second one swiped its claws at Link before he had time to react, knocking his sword out of his hand and up the field. Link clutched his throbbing hand and looked frantically around to see his sword. Through the rain, he saw that his sword was about twenty yards to his left. With an apologetic face, Link left the soldier to deal with the shadow beast by himself, and ran towards his sword. However he saw a shadow beast running towards it and it would get there sooner than he would. He then stopped and pulled out his clawshot. He shot the clawshot at his sword and it stuck. The clawshot then flew back towards Link and he had his sword back, the shadow beast looking confounded.

Now with the sword in hand, Link ran at the shadow beast and did a vertical slice that cut the shadow beast in half, killing it. Link then scanned the area and saw that a soldier was being ganged up by three shadow beasts. He ran over to the soldier but was too late; he had just collapsed to the ground and looked to not be breathing. Filled with rage, Link slashed his sword against the shadow beasts one after the other, the shadow beasts unable to defend themselves. When all three were dead, Link scanned the area and noticed that he was rather isolated from everyone else. There was no one around him for several yards and he was all by himself. This was the second time he noticed this and he was starting to think that Ganondorf told the shadow beasts to avoid him so that he could keep him out of the picture during the fighting. A smart move on Ganondorf's part.

Another more troubling thing that he noticed was that the shadow beasts were winning. The soldiers were putting up a good fight from the start but looking around, Link saw many more casualties from the Hyrulean Army then he did of shadow beasts. This made Link uneasy, he couldn't do this all by himself.

He saw two shadow beasts running behind a soldier that had his back turned and was fighting a shadow beast. Link hurried over to the soldier to provide assistance. He got there just as the shadow beasts leapt in the air. He blocked the two shadow beasts with his sword and stood back to back with the soldier ready to fight.

"Thanks for that Link!" called the soldier.

"No problem. I'll take care of these two, you focus on that one," Link called back over the howling wind. Link prepared his sword as the two shadow beasts leapt in the air again. As the first one came down, he sidestepped it and prepared for the second one. The shadow beast landed just to the left of the soldier who Link was fighting with. It then turned its attention to the soldier and prepared to attack it when his back was to it. Horrified, Link rushed over to the other side of the soldier to protect him from the attack. He slashed the shadow beast with his sword and it fell to the ground. Link whipped around and saw that the soldier had taken care of the other shadow beast. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Link had a new objective now. With the shadow beasts maiming more and more soldiers, he felt that he had to find the lieutenants Ashei, Auru, and Shad to discuss strategy. He started weaving in and out of the battlefield looking for the three of them, ducking around two Gorons manhandling a shadow beast. This pleased Link as it seemed the Gorons were able to stand their own against the shadow beasts. Now if only the soldiers could figure out how to defend them, they'd be fine. After frantically searching for the three lieutenants, he saw them at a corner all huddled together with Princess Zelda and Midna. They appeared to be discussing exactly what Link wanted to discuss with them. He started running over to them.

"Hey look who's late to the party," said Midna slyly. "We were just discussing what to do because your people are incompetent and can't get the job done."

"Yes," said Auru giving Midna an irritated look. "Point is, we don't know what to do. We don't know whether we should retreat or just keep fighting and hope for the best."

"What we need is more men," implored Ashei.

"More men won't solve the problem. These men are the finest that Hyrule has to offer. If we get more men that don't know how to fight, the defeat won't be any quicker," countered Auru. Ashei knew that she was beaten and didn't say anything further.

"Look!" gasped Zelda pointing towards the Bridge of Eldin. Everyone turned their heads sharply and looked at what was going on.

The portal in front of the Bridge started pulsating more violently. Then within seconds, dozens more shadow beasts came running out of the portal and towards the battlefield. They joined the fray and swayed the tide of the battle into the favor of the Twili. Auru, Ashei and Shad turned back towards Link, Zelda and Midna, their faces crestfallen.

"Well, it looks like we have no choice but to retreat. But to where? The shadow beasts will be able to follow us wherever we go," asked Auru with his head down.

"What about Zora's Domain?" asked Zelda.

"That is an interesting idea. But still, the shadow beasts could still follow us on the way there," countered Auru.

"Not if we block the way there," piped up Shad and when the rest of them looked puzzled, continued, "We may have to blow up the Bridge of Eldin." The rest of the group was shocked.

"Blow up the Bridge of Eldin? Are you mad man?" exclaimed Auru with great surprise and disbelief etched on his face.

"Do you have any alternatives? Our troops are dying and we have no where to go. I think it's a small sacrifice to make for the safety of our people and troops," said Shad with a determined expression on his face.

"I agree with Shad. We need to get started right away evacuating our population to Zora's Domain. You two," Zelda said pointing to Ashei and Shad "Will go to Castle Town and lead the inhabitants away to Zora's Domain by way of the Lanayru Bridge over Lake Hylia. Auru, you will gather the remainder of your troops and lead them to Kakariko Village to protect the citizens there as they head towards Zora's Domain. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Shad, Auru and Ashei answered in unison. Ashei and Shad then started sprinting to the right and headed towards the western entrance to Castle Town. When they went through the entrance, Zelda looked satisfied and turned to Auru once more.

"I'm going to make a white flag on a pole. Use it to call off your troops and have them regroup in Kakariko Village. We'll plan further from there once we're out of the way of the shadow beasts," ordered Zelda. She then stuck her hand in the air and a metal pole about twenty feet long materialized out of thin air and landed in her hand. Attached at the end of the pole was a white flag. Zelda handed the flag over to Auru and he started waving it while facing the battlefield. The soldiers didn't see it at first but when they did, they stopped what they're doing and fled towards Zelda, Midna, Auru and Link. The first soldiers got there and started looking towards the others coming, egging them on. A couple of soldiers didn't make it as the shadow beasts got them but when all the soldiers had arrived, there were still about ninety men. The shadow beasts had looked confused for a second but when they saw everyone gathered around Zelda, Auru and Link, they started sprinting towards them.

Zelda then suddenly put her hands in front of her face and closed her eyes like she was concentrating. After a couple seconds of nothing happening, a huge blue, triangular force field, appeared and engulfed the entire army, Auru and Link. The shadow beasts ran into the force field and were knocked back. They tried to get passed it but the force field stuck and was impenetrable.

"Everyone, retreat back to Kakariko Village!" called Zelda with her hands still stuck in that same position and her eyes still closed. She then started walking slowly towards Kakariko Village. Everybody started walking along with Zelda towards the village, careful to stay within the boundaries of the force field. Zelda walked slowly as to not disturb the force field and keep it intact.

"Link!" Zelda called with her eyes and hands still in the same positions. "Take out your bow. When we get in the village, I need you to shoot two bomb arrows at the cliffs to block the path into the village."

"I would but I'm all out of bombs. I used them all up during our stay in the Twilight Castle," Link said as he turned to face Zelda. The group was now in the valley just before Kakariko Village. The shadow beasts were still slowly crawling after the group, waiting for the minute that the force field would cease to exist. Every couple seconds, another one would jump at the force field, trying to get through it. Whenever one did this, Link saw Zelda wince a bit and the force field got a little smaller.

"Then go and get some from Barnes' Bomb Shop. I'm sure that he still has some left," said Zelda, still with her eyes closed. The group was now surrounded by the cliffs that stood next to Kakariko Village. Zelda then stopped and turned around to Link.

"Link, get those bombs!" she yelled. Link, not needing to be told twice, broke into a run towards Kakariko Village, leaving the force field. Midna, who was silently floating above Zelda the entire time, followed him. As Link went into Kakariko Village in the pouring rain, he saw that there were no lights on in Barnes' shop. He didn't know whether this was a bad sign or not but he figured that he still might be in there.

He and Midna both went inside the store to find Barnes slumped against a wall looking afraid. When he saw that Link and Midna had entered the store, he sprung up and walked over to the two of them.

"The shop is closed now. I'm sorry but I can't help you," he said in a resigned voice.

"That's not the answer that we were looking for," said Midna as she flew up to Barnes' face real aggressively. "You're going to give us two bombs and you're going to give them to us now. Princess Zelda is out there risking her neck for you and you're not going to give us two measly bombs?"

"Alright, alright. Just wait here," cried Barnes with his hands up in the air as if he feared for his safety. He then ran back behind the desk, flew under it and emerged carrying five bombs and about thirty arrows in his hands. He then came rushing back from behind the desk and thrust the bombs and arrows into Link's hands.

"Here. I know you needed two but here are five. These arrows will also help if you want to make bomb arrows. I've only just started selling them. Now will you please get out of my store?" asked Barnes as he slumped back in the corner.

"Pleasure doing business with you!" called Link with an apologetic face as he walked out the door with the bombs in his hands. Midna followed and waved at Barnes with a smirk on his face. When they were greeted outside with the pouring rain and heavy wind, Link and Midna started running towards Zelda who still had the blue force field up. However Link noticed that it was considerably smaller than before, just barely engulfing the group.

When Link and Midna got to Zelda, Link took out his bow just as Zelda had instructed him and walked over to her.

"Ok Zelda, I've got my bow and bomb arrows, now what?" asked Link.

"Point your bow at the base of the cliffs and shoot bomb arrows at it until the cliff collapses," Zelda said.

Link obeyed Zelda and aimed for the bottom of the cliff on the right hand side. He fired a bomb arrow at it and then quickly shot another one at the opposite cliff base before the first one had even hit. The two bomb arrows connected with the cliff bases and exploded sending rocks flying everywhere however thanks to Zelda's force field, the group was spared from bearing the brunt of the rock downpour. After a couple of seconds the cliffs collapsed, crashing into the ground in front of the group and blocking the shadow beasts from getting through. The crashed rock formed a wall that was impenetrable and prevented the onslaught from the shadow beasts to continue. Zelda opened her eyes and dropped her hands and the blue force field dissipated. She looked exhausted as she was breathing heavily.

"What was that?" asked a curious and impressed Link.

"A spell that has been passed down through the royal family for generations. It's called Nayru's Love. It can make the user impenetrable to damage as long as he or she is able to maintain focus. However the forcefield will dissipate over time if it is repeatedly attacked. The shield's strength comes from the life force of the wielder. Every hit that the shield receives takes its toll on the wielder. However enough about that, what are we going to do?" asked Zelda.

"You said we should evacuate to Zora's Domain," reminded Auru.

"Yes but I meant how are we going to go about doing that?" clarified Zelda in a voice with a tiny hint of exasperation.

"Well you said that we have to blow up the Bridge of Eldin. This is a good plan but there's one problem. The bombs sold at Barnes' Bomb Shop don't have the amount of power necessary to blow up the bridge. If we tried to blow it up, we'd fail," said Auru.

"How do you know that?" asked Link.

"The Bridge of Eldin is one of Hyrule's greatest natural landmarks. I've studied it intensely and have deduced that that bridge cannot be blown up by normal bombs. It was intended to be this way when the bridge was created. That bridge was meant to last for a long time," explained Auru.

"I see. So we'll have to think of another way," said a distraut Zelda. The entire group then went silent as they started to think. The only sound that could be heard was the pouring rain. Suddenly Darbus, the Goron Elder, spoke up.

"Can it withstand the power of a powder keg?" he asked. The Gorons of the group all gasped in understanding while the rest of the group was clueless.

"Powder keg? What's a powder keg?" asked an intrigued Zelda. Link was also interested to know what a powder keg was.

"It's one of the most powerful and dangerous weapons of the Goron tribe. It is much more powerful than the average bomb. It's so powerful that we Gorons haven't made anymore in a long time out of fear of one exploding," explained Darbus.

"I see. Well I've never heard of powder kegs and I'm pretty sure that the Bridge of Eldin wasn't built with them in mind so I think that a powder keg would be able to do the trick," said Auru as he put his hand under his chin and looked up at the sky, deep in thought.

"Alright then, we'll use a powder keg," said Zelda. She then turned to Darbus and asked him "Do you have any right now?"

"No, Princess Zelda. However we could easily make one if given time," answered Darbus.

"How much time would you need?" asked Zelda.

"Hmm. Probably an hour. It is not that hard to make but has to be made in a specific fashion that must be perfect," answered Darbus.

"Very well. If you could make a powder keg, it would be greatly appreciated," said Zelda.

"Wait a minute Zelda! We'll need more than one powder keg. If we want to make sure that the shadow beasts can't get to Zora's Domain, we'll need to blow up the Lanayru Bridge as well," reasoned Link.

"Blow up the Bridge of Eldin and the Lanayru Bridge? If we do that we're effectively splitting Hyrule in half!" cried Auru in protest.

"We have no other options. If we don't do something, the shadow beasts will overwhelm us and we will all perish. At least with this plan, we can protect our citizens even for a little while longer," proclaimed Zelda.

"Ok brothers! You heard the princess! We have two Goron powder kegs to make!" bellowed Darbus as he jumped up in the air in excitement. The Gorons all went after Darbus as they all headed towards the Death Mountain trail. They rolled excitedly up the trail until they were out of sight.

"Now I guess we wait," Zelda said as she sighed. "Auru, you must round up the villagers and help them get into carriages for their departure. We must be ready when the Gorons come down with the powder kegs."

"As you wish Princess Zelda," responded Auru as he bowed and started walking away. Zelda then let out a very deep sigh and slumped against the rocks with her head in her hands. Link was taken aback by this act of tiredness and joined her down on the ground.

"Tired?" asked Link with mild concern.

"I'm exhausted. All these occurrences in one day really take a toll on you when you're trying to save an entire country. And it won't stop raining!" she added in frustration.

"We're all grateful for all that you've done Zelda. If you hadn't cast Nayru's love, we might have been slaughtered by the shadow beasts before we could retreat to Kakariko Village," Link said gently.

"What do you mean 'we'? I was watching you fight and you were manhandling shadow beasts left and right. It's the army's fault that they're not up to the task," interjected Midna with a frown on her face.

"That may be true but I can't take on three hundred shadow beasts single-handedly," said Link modestly.

"I don't know about that Link. If I had to choose between you and the entire Hyrulean Army to fight off three hundred shadow beasts, I'd choose you," Zelda said sweetly.

"Thanks Zelda," muttered Link as his face grew bright red. He was saved additional embarrassment as Auru came up to them along the road. He stopped right in front of them and looked down upon them. Link felt it rather odd to be looking up at Auru as he was generally taller than the man. Auru cleared his throat and began to speak.

"I have made sure that all of the villagers be informed that we are going to be evacuating the town in one hour. I have arranged for the villagers to be transported with the two carriages that were used to transport Link and his Ordonian village folk here," he said.

"Very good Auru. You should prepare your soldiers for battle as well," Zelda said with her hands in her lap and her back against the wall of rock.

"However Princess, there are two villagers missing," Auru continued. Zelda leaned up straight, her body full of attention. Link and Midna both focused more on Auru too, as the both of them were curious as to who was missing.

"Colin and Ilia are both missing. They were staying here and now no one can seem to find them," Auru explained.

"What?!" asked a clearly shocked Link. "Colin and Ilia are both missing? Where could they have gone?"

"I have no idea. However one person said that they saw the two of them riding a horse out of Kakriko Village. This person says that they overheard the two of them talking about going to Lake Hylia," Auru reported.

"What's this about Colin and Ilia being missing?" asked a voice. The three of them looked around and saw Rusl and Bo standing a few feet away from them with their arms crossed and frowns on their faces.

"Yes, Colin and Ilia have disappeared. They were here before, but they're not here now," Auru calmly said.

"Well what are you waiting for?! Send some troops to find them!" cried Bo with indignation.

"We can't do that. We need to conserve troops for the war going on with the shadow beasts. If you're so worried about them, why don't you try looking for them yourself? Although I would advise against that right now, as we have shadow beasts freely roaming the land," Auru said. Rusl and Bo had no response to this, as they knew he was right.

"Well, if you hear anything about their whereabouts, tell me," said Rusl in defeat. He and Bo then started walking away towards the Kakariko Inn, talking about something animatedly.

"I guess I should tell them that we have a witness who says that they were headed towards Lake Hylia," Auru said and he started walking after them, leaving Link, Zelda and Midna alone.

"What could the two of them be doing down by Lake Hylia? What is there that interests them?" asked Link.

"Well, there the lake spirit, the Falbi's flight by Fowell game and…" Zelda stopped as realization hit her with the force of a ball and chain. "…The cannon that takes them to Gerudo Desert."

"But why would they go to Gerudo Desert? There's nothing there…" said Link when he too stopped mid-thought. "Except that's where Auru told us the last Breaker Sword piece is."

"So they're there to try and get the last Breaker Sword piece? Those two will just end up getting themselves killed!" cried Midna with concern.

"We can only hope I guess. May the goddesses protect them on their journey," Zelda lamented. Just then, a huge rolling sound could be heard coming from the Death Mountain trail. Looking up towards the trail, Link saw that the Gorons who were fighting alongside them before were rolling down the hill at top speed. They all gathered at the entrance to the trail. Then, two more Gorons came rolling down the hill, each supporting a brownish structure that could only be the powder kegs. The powder kegs looked like huge barrels with a smiling Goron head in the center. The two carrying the powder kegs were Darbus and Gor Coron.

Link and Zelda got up and with Midna, walked over to greet the Gorons. Darbus walked up to Link and Zelda with the powder keg tucked underneath his arm.

"We have made two powder kegs, one for each bridge. They didn't take as long as we thought so here we have them for you!" Darbus exclaimed, excited that his Goron tribe had succeeded in their task.

"That's great Darbus, now we just have to wait for the villagers to get packed up and ready and then we'll put those powder kegs to good use," Zelda said as she smiled out of sheer relief.

As Zelda said this, the villagers were already underway preparing their belongings to be migrated to Zora's Domain. Renado, Bo and Rustl could be seen helping villagers load their belongings into a wagon. Link was puzzled as to why they were bringing all of their significant belongings. It wasn't like they were permanently leaving this village, it was only for as long as the war was going on. But then he reasoned that this war could last a long time so the villagers ought to be prepared. However there was the fact of what the villagers were going to do once they got to Zora's Domain. Zora's Domain wasn't a very big place and what space it did take up was mostly water. There wouldn't be much room to put all of their stuff and he couldn't think that the Zoras would be very happy with all of the villager's belongings taking up all the space in the domain. However he mustn't worry about these things at the moment. Their focus should be getting there.

While Link was in his stupor, he noticed that Epona was standing over by Renado's hut. She must have known to come here, after Link, Zelda and Midna had gotten off of her and went to Castle Town. Link ran over to her and patted her on the head. She greeted him by licking his nose. He got on top of Epona and led her over back to where Zelda and Midna were standing.

"Epona was over by Renado's hut. She must have known to come here when we were no longer riding her," Link said.

"That's one smart horse you've got Link," Zelda said. The horse grunted happily in response.

After about twenty minutes, the carriages were filled to capacity with the villagers, and Bo and Rusl grabbed the horse's reins. The two of them led the horses to where Link, Zelda and Midna were stationed. Rusl's horse pulled up to the three of them and he turned to speak.

"You three all ready? It'd be nice if you could do that Nayru's love spell again Princess," Rustl said.

"I was planning to do that Rusl," Zelda responded with a smile. She then climbed up next to him in the driver's seat. She then climbed on top of the carriage itself and then sat down with her legs crossed.

"Everyone get close together. That way I don't have to make such a big force field and can concentrate more energy on keeping it in tact. Everybody obliged; the second carriage came right up next to the first one, with only a few feet in-between them. The Gorons then began congregating all around the carriages, all of them lined with serious faces and their weapons at the ready. Gor Coron and Darbus, who were carrying the powder kegs, were the furthest ones inside the ring of Gorons and they were protected by all the Gorons standing next to them.

Suddenly, there was a huge explosion directly in front of the group. The rock wall had been blown up by an unknown force. Everyone shielded their faces as the rocks flew towards them. When the rocks had finished flying, everyone started looking back at where the rocks used to be. What they saw was the figure of Ganondorf standing tall in the middle of the path with his army of shadow beasts behind him. Link had to say that the sight was intimidating, all of the shadow beasts that lined up behind Ganondorf. Added with the fact that it was pouring rain, and it was one grim scene.

"Going somewhere?" Ganondorf asked in a smug voice. He then started laughing hysterically. "You'll never be able to get passed my army. You're trapped and your little resistance will lose here."

"Zelda, hurry up and cast Nayru's love!" Link called. Zelda obliged and put her hands in front of her face just like the last time she cast the spell. She then closed her eyes and after a few seconds of muttering, the familiar blue, triangular force field appeared and engulfed the entire Hyrulean Army.

Everyone then started slowly walking towards the enemy, knowing that they would be protected by Nayru's love. Ganondorf looked confused as he thought that they would be running in the opposite direction, not waking towards him. Out of confusion, he ordered that two shadow beasts attack the army. The shadow beasts ran at the army, who in response kept walking as they knew that the shadow beast would do no harm. Sure enough, the shadow beasts jumped and when they came down, were merely knocked backwards as they collided with the force field.

"What kind of sorcery is this?" asked Ganondorf whose smirk was now replaced with a frown. He sent more shadow beasts after the force field however those two met the fate of the first. They were knocked back and the Hyrulean Army entered Hyrule Field without having suffered any damage.

However Ganondorf seemed to have noticed that with every hit against the force field, Zelda winced in pain and the force field got a little smaller. He then smiled in understanding and ordered that the entire shadow beast army attack the force field. The shadow beasts started running towards the triangular barrier from all sides.

"If you guys don't prevent those shadow beasts from hitting the force field, it will be gone before we even make it to the bridge!" cried Zelda with her eyes still closed and her hands still in front of her face. The Gorons and soldiers marching next to the two carriages all prepared their weapons to combat the shadow beasts. The ones that were attacking from the ground were easy enough to defend against, the Gorons and soldiers would merely hit them with their weapons or their fists. The ones that jumped in the air were more difficult to defend against. Five shadow beasts had jumped into the force field at once and Zelda actually cried out in pain along with the force field significantly shrinking in size.

Hearing Zelda cry out in pain was too much for Link. Link took out his clawshot and aimed it at a wooden beam that was attached to the carriage next to the one Zelda was sitting on. The clawshot sent him flying off of Epona towards the beam. Link grabbed the beam and used it to climb on top of the carriage. He then put his clawshot away and took out his bow. Now that he was standing on top of the carriage, he had a greater view of his surroundings as he could see all the parts of the field around him. Link drew an arrow and aimed it at a shadow beast that had jumped in midair. The arrow pierced its neck and the shadow beast fell to the ground before it could make contact with the shield. Link repeated this procedure five more times to prevent five more shadow beasts from hitting the force field.

Zelda was still suffering however. Although Link was preventing shadow beasts from hitting the force field, he was not enough by himself. More and more shadow beasts were switching from running directly at it to jumping in the air to hit the force field. This had its effect on Zelda, as she was crying out in pain more and more often as more and more shadow beasts hit the force field. At one point, when the army had reached the middle of Hyrule Field, the blue force field actually dissipated for a few seconds and then came back again. Link was frightened now, he wondered just how more Zelda could take before she gave out.

"You guys, take out your bows and hit the shadow beasts before they hit the force field! I'm not sure how much more Zelda can take!" Link yelled down below at the soldiers. The soldiers all looked stunned and did what Link was told. They took out their bows and started picking the shadow beasts out of the air more often, causing less shadow beasts to make contact with the shield. The Gorons maintained the ground forces by punching them while the soldiers switched their focus to the ones jumping in the air.

"Link…Don't worry…about…me. I can take…more hits…just get us…to the bridge," Zelda faintly said, struggling to complete the sentence. Glancing over towards her, Link could tell that she was filled with pain. Her eyes, while still closed, were starting to twitch and her knees were starting to wobble. Even though Zelda said that she was alright, Link was even more concerned for her than he was before. The fact that she could only say a couple words at a time without gasping for breath, made him start to panic. Would they make it to the bridge in time?

"Come on, just a little further. Hold on Zelda," Link mumbled as the army had started passing the stone walls that were in front of the Bridge of Eldin. The army was a mere one hundred feet from the front of the bridge.

Even though the soldiers were now hitting the shadow beasts that were jumping in the air, every now and then a shadow beast would make contact with the barrier, causing it to shrink and Zelda to wince in pain. By the time the army got to the bridge, the barrier was so small that the top of Link's head was threatening to break through.

The carriages were the first to go through the entrance to the bridge. Everyone that was in front of the carriage moved to the back so that they could fend off the shadow beasts and protect the carriage. Once the carriages squeezed through the stone entrance and were on the bridge itself, the soldiers and Gorons backed through the entrance while still fighting shadow beasts.

Everyone was now on the Bridge of Eldin. Link jumped off of his carriage and the two of them sped up so that they could cross the bridge, leaving the soldiers wide open as they took the protective barrier with them. When they got past the bridge and were on the land that was in front of the mountains of North Hyrule Field, Link yelled at Darbus.

"They're safe at the other side! Put down the powder keg so we can get out of here!" Link yelled.

"Sure thing Brother!" Darbus yelled over the howling winds. Link motioned for the rest of the soldiers to follow him and they ran to the other side of the bridge, leaving Darbus alone in the middle. Darbus quickly put the powder keg down and ran to the other side of the bridge. The shadow beasts that were on the bridge were puzzled by the powder keg and stopped to gather around it.

"The fuse isn't going to light in this rain so one of you has to shoot it with an arrow! That will blow up the powder keg!" Darbus cried. Link, who still had his bow out, took aim at the powder keg.

"Leave it to me," he said. When he was sure that he had a good aim on the powder keg, he fired the arrow.

The arrow connected with the powder keg and pierced its outer form. What followed next was the most massive explosion Link had ever seen. The powder keg exploded with such a loud bang, that Link had to shield his eyes and ears from the bright light and booming sound of the explosion. When Link opened his eyes, the Bridge of Eldin was gone and the shadow beasts that were not on the bridge when it exploded had no way of getting over to them.

Everybody started cheering and jumping up and down with excitement. Zelda opened her eyes and dropped her hands and the force field dissipated. She then collapsed on the top of the carriage in exhaustion. She was laying on her back breathing heavily, however she too had a look of excitement and happiness on her face. The happy vibe that the group had was quickly replaced with anxiety as they saw the shadow beasts starting to run in the opposite direction.

"They're heading to the Lanayru Brige!" called Auru. Link turned to Gor Coron.

"Give me the powder keg! I'll blow up the bridge myself!" called Link. Gor Coron nodded and handed the powder keg to Link. Link then called Epona over to him and when she was next to him, he got on top of her, the powder keg tucked under his right arm.

"I'll take the powder keg and blow up the Lanayru Bridge! Everyone else, go to Zora's Domain! I'll be back once I take care of my business!" Link ordered. Bo, Rustl, Auru and Renado solluted and Link had Epona turn around towards the mountains.

"Let's go girl," Link calmly said to the horse. Epona then was off as quick as a flash. They galloped past the mountains and headed into the field that led to Zora's Domain. Link and Epona headed towards the bridge that ran over the river and ran across it. It was now a race against time. Link had to get there before the shadow beasts got to the bridge and were able to cross it. If he didn't, he would have to battle about two hundred shadow beasts at once. Epona galloped at top speed over the bridge and headed towards the eastern part of Hyrule Field. The two of them got to the eastern entrance to Castle Town. They were almost there, they just had to get to the other road of the end of this section of rain. Link kicked Epona's sides and Epona sped up even further so that they could get there as fast as possible. Link worried that he was pushing Epona too hard but he would make up for it later.

The two of them got to the road that led to the Lanayru Bridge without any problems. The bridge was coming into view and Link could not see any shadow beasts going across it. This was a good sign but they could appear at any moment. Link and Epona ran down the road and within seconds, they were on the Lanayru Bridge itself. When the two of them got to the middle, Epona came to a stop so that Link could set the powder keg down.

Just as Link was setting the powder keg down, he could hear the sound of many feet hitting the ground. He strained his eyes and saw that in the distance, the army of shadow beasts was running at top speed towards the bridge. He got on top of Epona and had her turn around.

"Run girl!" Link begged and Epona ran to the other side of the bridge. When they got down on the land beyond the bridge, he jumped off Epona and quickly took out his bow. He drew an arrow and within seconds got the powder keg in his view and he took aim.

He shot the arrow and just as with the first powder keg, the arrow hit it square in the middle and the powder keg exploded just as the shadow beasts got to the bridge. The explosion was just as enormous as with the first powder keg and when the smoke cleared, the Lanayru Bridge was gone, just as with the Bridge of Eldin. The shadow beasts now had no way of getting to the northern half of Hyrule.

"Yes!" Link called as he did a fist pump. He turned Epona around, the two of them getting ready to journey to Zora's Domain. However what Link saw when he did turn around quickly made his good mood evaporate. Ganondorf was standing in front of him.

"Your little powder kegs may have stopped my army from crossing over to Hyrule's northern half but I am not so easily stopped. You will pay dearly for what you've done," Ganondorf sneered.

Link put his bow away and jumped down from Epona. When he was on solid ground, he took out his shield and sword and prepared to do battle.

"Hahahahahaha!" Ganondorf laughed. "You think you can beat me? Do your worst." Ganondorf's eyes then lit up bright and filled the air with a blinding, white light just as he had done in front of the Twilight Castle. The bright light was too much for Link, who had forgotten this trick and was not prepared for it. He knew what was coming next, Ganondorf would punch him in the stomach. He put his sword and shield back over his back so that Ganondorf wouldn't be able to take them from him. Sure enough, the punch came and the force of the blow knocked Link face down into the dirt. He couldn't take the pain and his eyes closed as he was knocked unconscious. The last words he heard before he blacked out were "Hahahahahah! Now that you're out of the way, Hyrule will be mine!"

**Next Chapter: Exploring the Underground Labrynth**


	22. Chapter 22: The Underground Labyrinth

**Author's Note: I wanted to get this chapter done a month ago but I was so busy that I couldn't get it done. Anyway here it is, ready for you to enjoy. This chapter is basically part one of a two part chapter. Enjoy and feel free to post your thoughts in a review.**

Chapter 22: The Underground Labyrinth

Ilia and Colin landed face first in the sand of the Gerudo Desert. Coughing and spitting up sand, the two of them got up and looked around at their surroundings. Their surroundings were nothing but sand on all sides of them. The only thing that broke up this image of brown sand was the figure of Arbiter's Grounds to the west.

"Where is this place that we need to go to?" Ilia asked Colin when the two of them had gotten up and were standing around.

"I heard them say that there's a cave around the Cave of Ordeals. Maybe we should go there," Colin said. "But the thing is, where is the Cave of Ordeals?"

"Link never told you about his adventures in there?" Ilia asked with a smirk on her face. She apparently was taking great joy out of knowing that Link discussed certain things with her and not Colin.

"No, I've never even heard of the place," Colin said, confused.

"You see that hill straight ahead in the distance?" Ilia asked as she pointed ahead of them. Colin turned around and stared off into the horizon to the hill.

"So?" Colin asked.

"The entrance to the Cave of Ordeals is on top of that hill," Ilia explained.

"I see. So let's go!" Colin exclaimed. His determination to help Link was starting to show in his eyes. He had an urgent look on his face that gave off the message that they didn't have much time.

"Ok then, let's go," Ilia agreed.

The two of them started to carefully walk across the desert sand. They had to shield their eyes every now and again as a gust of wind would kick up sand in their faces, forcing them to stop before it subsided.

Suddenly, while the two of them still had their arms in front of their eyes, a creature popped up out of the ground and flew right at them. Colin reacted quickly by moving in front of Ilia and pulling out his shield. The creature deflected against the shield and dove back down into the sand. It then started to circle the two of them slowly. Colin took out his sword and kept his eyes on the tunnel of dirt, the creature was creating. After about ten seconds, it popped out of the ground again. Colin was ready for it this time however, slashing it and cutting it in half.

Once the first creature was dead, five more dirt tunnels came towards them. Colin looked to Ilia with apprehension.

"RUN!" Colin yelled. Ilia didn't need telling twice. The two of them turned to the hill in the far side of the desert and started sprinting towards it. However after they had gone about thirty feet, they saw three more creatures burrowing underground coming straight towards them, blocking their path. Colin and Ilia stopped dead in their tracks. They were surrounded; the burrowers had coordinated themselves so that they were coming on all sides of the two of them. Colin suddenly had an idea.

"Ilia, get down. I'm going to do a spin attack when they all jump at us and I don't want you to get hit," Colin said earnestly. Ilia then dropped to her knees and put her hands above her head. Colin gripped his sword in his right hand and readied it for when the creatures jumped.

Within a couple seconds, the creatures all jumped out of the ground at once towards Colin. Colin, who was prepared, quickly spun around and hit each creature square on in the head, killing them all.

"Come on, let's get to the hill!" Colin urged as he quickly helped Ilia to her feet. Once she was up, he grabbed her hand and led her forcefully to the hill. They dashed across the desert sand as quickly as they could. Colin could hear the sound of more creatures burrowing behind them but he did not look back. They were about one hundred feet from the hill and Colin thought that they could make it before the creatures got to them.

The creatures were getting closer to them however. Colin let go of Ilia's hand and stopped in his tracks. Ilia continued forward for a little bit and then turned back to Colin. With a questioning look on her face, she asked "Colin, what're you doing?"

"Just get to the hill safe and sound! I'll take care of the burrowers!" Colin said as he gripped Link's old sword in both hands, raising it to about eye level. Three more burrowers were coming straight for Colin. He waited patiently for them to come to him, his sword held still. He looked like a statue crafted in a battle pose. Once the burrowers were ten feet in front of him, two of them jumped out of the ground. Colin sprung to life and cut down of them with his sword before they could even make it to the ground. The third burrower however, had gone straight past Colin and was heading for Ilia.

Panicking slightly, Colin hastily put his sword back in his scabbard and took out his bow. He grabbed an arrow and quickly took aim at the burrowing tunnel of dirt that was heading towards Ilia that had her back turned. Ilia was at the foot of the hill and when she heard the sound of the burrower coming towards her, she turned around and a look of terror developed on her face. Colin squinted so he could make out the tunnel better, concentrating and readying his arrow for when the burrower struck. Colin continued to aim until the burrower was about five feet from Ilia. AS soon as he saw the burrower leave the ground, he fired. The arrow flew through the air and hit the burrower square in the back, killing it instantly while dropping it to the ground. Pleased with himself, Colin put his arrow away and started walking over to where Ilia was, a triumphant smile etched across his face.

"That was too close!' Ilia scolded. "You almost let that thing hit me! Lucky for your sake you didn't miss!"

"Don't worry Ilia. You'll be safe as long as you stick with me," Colin answered with a little feint-smugness, turning his head away so he wouldn't have to look her in the eye. In truth, it had been a lucky shot and Colin could very well have missed. He would never tell her that though, as he'd never hear the end of it.

"Anyway," he said trying to change the subject. "Now that we're at this hill, let's climb to the top." He went ahead of Ilia and climbed up the hill. He extended his hand for Ilia when he got to the top and helped her climb up. There was another ledge for them to go up and the once the two of them tackled that, they were at the top of the hill with a great view of the entire surrounding desert.

Colin and Ilia stopped to gaze at the great expanse of sand and sky before them. It was just about to enter nighttime as the sky was in a beautiful state of twilight. The red and orange glow of the sun gave off a relaxing mood to the entire desrert, just another day of sand coming to an end. The two of them couldn't stare at the sunset all day though, they had a cave to find.

"So this hole right here leads to the Cave of Ordeals?" Colin asked from a distance. He was several feet in front of Ilia and was crouching down at the hole in the ground. Ilia hadn't noticed that he wasn't at her side anymore because she had been staring at the scenery.

"I suppose so. I've never actually been here before so I don't know for sure," Ilia said with a hint of uncertainty. She didn't want to confirm something that she didn't know for sure. "Anyway Colin, we're not here to go to the Cave of Ordeals. There's a cave somewhere around here that leads to the place where we have to go."

"You're right. I assume it's down there by the hills that form the outline for this area," Colin said pointing. Down the hill they were standing on, there was a sort of valley with hills surrounding it. The hills that surrounded it formed a sort of enclosed area that looked like it could hold a cave. "Hold on, let me take out the hawkeye and use it. It's too hard to see from up here."

"Hawkeye? Isn't that Link's?" Ilia asked with a raised voice.

"Yes it is. He let me borrow it one day and I guess I forgot to give it back," Colin said, avoiding Ilia's gaze again as he reached inside his pockets and pulled the hawkeye out. It might not have been right to not give Link his hawkeye back but at least it will come in use now. Ilia rolled her eyes.

"I think I see an opening at the bottom of one of the hills down there. It certainly looks like it could be a cave. Want to check it out?" Colin asked Ilia as his eyes emerged from behind the hawkeye, looking at her.

"Sure. We have no other ideas of where it could be. Let's go," she responded. Colin had a happy look on his face and put the hawkeye away. Then he and Ilia started to walk down the hill. Colin helped Ilia down the ledges that were a little too high for comfort. Ilia constantly had the fear that more burrowers were going to show up but none ever did. When they were at the bottom of the hill they were just on, they could clearly see the hole in the hill that Colin had been describing.

"There it is. It's a lot easier to see now!" Colin exclaimed with excitement. Then all of a sudden he started sprinting towards it. Ilia, not wanting to be left alone in case of attack, started running after him as fast as she could. Colin was too fast for her though so she couldn't keep up. By the time she got over to the cave entrance, he was waiting for her with an impatient look on his face.

"What took you so long? I've been waiting here forever," Colin said with an exasperated tone. His face didn't fit his tone however as he looked like he would start bursting with laughter any minute. Ilia didn't respond but gave him a dirty look.

"So this is the cave we have to go into?" Ilia said, eager to change the subject. She and Colin were now looking at the entrance to the cave that they were standing in front of. Now that the two of them were actually here where they said they would be, it gave them doubts. The cave entrance looked intimidating, it was a large hole that led to a long tunnel with no visible light at the end of it. Ilia was starting to feel that maybe they shouldn't be here and she could feel that Colin was thinking the same.

They looked at each other and without speaking, they knew that they had to proceed. Now was not the time to get scared. Both of them nodded with determined looks on their faces and stepped into the cave.

When the two of them were in the cave, everything seemed to change. The outside sound of the wind was gone and there was nothing but silence. This silence made Ilia and Colin uneasy as it was a silence that the two of them hadn't experienced before. Every step they took created a huge echo that could give away their whereabouts to any presence that was lurking there.

The two of them were about twenty feet in and their path was still lit ahead of them. However their light was coming to an end as they saw that the edge of the light ended some five feet in front of them. As Ilia and Colin plunged forward into the cave, the light left them and they were now in total darkness.

"Colin grab my hand. We can't lose one another," Ilia said. Colin couldn't see Ilia's hand but he felt around for it. After a couple of seconds of fumbling around in the dark, the two grasped hands so that they could always feel the other one.

Now that the two of them were alone in the dark, the question Colin had wanted to ask for awhile came bursting back into his mind. He figured that now was the perfect time to ask it. It was perfect because he didn't want to see Ilia's face when she answered as he wasn't sure he'd like it.

"Ilia, why does Link tell you things that he doesn't tell me?" he asked.

_Is he serious? We're in the middle of a pitch dark cave and he's asking me why Link tells me things that he doesn't tell him? Surely this isn't the best time to ask that_ Ilia thought to herself. On the other hand, she was very afraid of what they would find in this cave and Colin's question gave her something else to think about.

"Well…I don't know," Ilia responded. "Maybe it's because I'm the same age as him and that he doesn't think you could handle his stories?"

"If that's it then that's stupid! I'm thirteen and a better fighter than you ever will be. I can handle anything you can," Colin pouted.

Normally Ilia would be insulted at Colin's words but she knew where he was coming from. Link was Colin's idle. Colin looked up to Link and wanted to emulate him in every way. It must hurt to hear that your idle doesn't think you can handle hearing about his many journeys.

"Colin whatever the reason is, I'm sure Link did it because he felt it was best," Ilia said, trying to reassure Colin as they walked through the darkness of the tunnel.

"I guess so. I just wonder why he told you and not me. Are you his girlfriend now? I know you wanted to be a while back," Colin persisted.

Ilia was glad that they were in the dark because at these words, she blushed a furious shade of scarlet. She hadn't exactly been subtle in their youth of her feelings for Link. Colin must have picked up on it and not said anything.

"No Colin, I'm not Link's girlfriend. I don't think Link is interested," Ilia said.

"I don't know about that," Colin said in an I-know-something-and-you-don't voice. Ilia was curious about these words and their meaning and was about to ask Colin about them when something else caught her eye.

Up ahead of them, there was a faint red light that was coming into view. It looked as if it was a torch. Colin and Ilia sped up a little bit so they could reach the light. The closer they got, the bigger and brighter the light became. They soon discovered that there were actually two torches.

The two torches were lit on a solid stone wall that was blocking their path. In front of the stone wall there was a sign that had writing on it.

"Feel free to take these two torches. You'll find them quite useful on your trek through the labyrinth, which is in complete darkness. Don't worry about returning them though, we'll make sure they're returned after your quest is over. Now the only question is, will you survive? hahahahahaha!" Ilia read the sign.

That sign gave Colin shivers down his neck. From the sound of the sign, there was plenty waiting inside the labyrinth. Visions of blood, monsters and darkness entered Colin's mind and he had to close his eyes to get them out. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of these thoughts. Ilia walked over to the wall and took one of the torches in her hand. Colin followed suit and took the other.

Almost immediately, the entire tunnel began to shake and the wall in front of them collapsed. Ilia and Colin looked at each other for a moment in the light made by the two torches. They both nodded and continued their quest onwards.

However after they had taken about ten steps, the wall behind them rose out of the ground and rematerialized behind them. The two of them rapidly turned around and saw with horror that their path out of the cave was blocked. They were trapped in here, their only path now was to go deep in the heart of the labyrinth. They turned back around and stood in the same spot for a couple seconds. There was no turning back now, forward was the only option.

Suddenly they heard laughter coming from up ahead in the tunnel. It was a sinister laugh, as if of pure evil. They then heard something that sounded like running. Colin's heart started beating really fast but it calmed down as the running sound was getting softer, not louder. Whatever it was was moving away from them, not getting closer.

"Well…I guess we have to proceed right?" Ilia said in an unsure voice. "I mean….It's not like we can go back or anything right?"

"Right," Colin said as his voice cracked terribly. He straightened his face and started walking down the tunnel. Ilia followed behind him as close as he could. The light of their two torches was helpful in helping them see, however it wasn't a very big fire so the range wasn't too high. The two of them could see about ten feet and front of them and that was it.

As they started walking down the tunnel, the scenery changed little. The tunnel they were in was about ten feet high and twenty feet wide. The walls were made of dark brown rock that made the tunnel seem even darker than usual. The end of the tunnel was still pitch black as it seemed to stretch on forever.

The tunnel was tense. Ilia and Colin didn't know what was in this tunnel and took every step being prepared for something to attack them. But as they went on, nothing came out at them. Colin found this even more nerve-wracking than if something came out at them. He made sure not to drop his guard in case something happened, but he wasn't sure if there was anything in here. That laugh they heard in the beginning still loomed in the back of his head so he wouldn't let himself be unprepared.

As they continued walking, Ilia saw something that intrigued her. It was past the range of her torch but she could still make it out anyway. It looked like another path. As the two of them came up on it, Ilia's suspicions were confirmed. On their left hand side was another tunnel path that looked identical to the one that they were in now. However the same path they were in right now continued on even further down in a straight path.

"So…which path do we take?" Colin asked.

"I don't know. Which one do you think is the right way?" Ilia asked. She, like Colin, had no idea which way to go and any path they chose would be random.

"I think we should take the left path. We haven't gotten anywhere with this path and a new one could be a fresh start," Colin said suddenly. Ilia couldn't argue with him so the two of them started down the path on the left.

The path they were in now was almost identical to the one they had just been in. The rock and dirt was exactly the same shade of brown and there was no light except for the flames of Colin's and Ilia's torches. The only difference was that this tunnel was extremely short. Colin and Ilia could see the end of it as soon as they got inside. They saw that there was a torch up ahead that was giving off light for them to see. After a couple of minutes, Colin and Ilia had gone the length of the tunnel and were now at an impasse again.

They were in the center of a very small room with four possible paths to take. There was the path behind them which they had already come out of, a path straight ahead of them, a path to the left and a path to the right. A short distance in front of them was a wooden sign. The sign had the torch on top of it. Colin and Ilia walked over to read it.

"You've done well to reach this point so you've earned a little reward. Don't get use to it however as it'll be the only one you get. Pay close attention: Your destination is in the center of the labyrinth," Ilia read. "Why would we get a clue to where we're going? I don't buy it."

"Why not? It's not that we have any other clues to go on," Colin countered. Colin wasn't as concerned as Ilia whether the clue was legitimate or not. He was more concerned with the fact that there seemed to be somebody overlooking the goings on of the labyrinth. He quickly glanced around the room. He couldn't shake the feeling that they're being watched.

"I know it's just that it's fishy. So let's take a minute and assume this clue is true. That would mean that we would have to go through the center path right?" Ilia reasoned.

"Sure why not?" Colin answered indifferently. He couldn't think of a reason to disagree as he had no clue as to where they were going either.

"Ok that's settled then. Let's go," Ilia commanded. She started walking towards the center path ahead of him. She waited until he caught up with her as he was the one armed with a bow and a sword. Together the two of them set down the path.

This path was the same as the other paths, no distinguishing features except for rocks, dirt and darkness. Ilia was beginning to think that every path was going to look like this. After all, it would only make sense if all the rooms looked the same as it would be even more confusing for them to be distinguished from each other, thereby making it easier to get lost.

After about one hundred feet, the path turned to the right. After this sharp turn, it leveled out again into a straight path. The two of them continued straight ahead, being extremely cautious to anything that could be lurking in the tunnel.

Nothing lashed out at them however as they continued their trek down the tunnel. The two of them had traveled ahead in the straight path for about ten minutes when something came into view. It appeared that the two of them had been traveling in a path that led to a dead end. Colin and Ilia walked slowly towards the wall and looked at it, inwardly frustrated that all of their trekking had been for nothing.

"Well, I guess we have to go back and take another path," Colin said in a tired voice. After he had turned back and headed down the path, Ilia shook her head. If he was getting tired already, he would never make it to the end of the labyrinth.

Colin had gone a few steps forward but he soon stopped. He held out his hand in front of Ilia so that she would stop as well. When Ilia looked at Colin with a questioning look, he pointed his finger ahead of them.

There were two bulblins walking quietly towards them. Colin and Ilia could barely see them with the faint glow of their torches but they were there nonetheless. Colin tucked his torch in between his belt and pants then took out his sword and shield. With this set-up he wouldn't be in the dark and could attack the bulblins at the same time. The only thing he had to worry about was accidentally burning himself, but he would take that risk.

"Stay here, I'll take care of them," Colin said. Ilia nodded and with the light of his torch, Colin quietly sneaked closer and closer to the bulblins. When he was within fifteen feet of the two bulblins, they noticed him and ran towards him. Colin prepared his sword and started running towards them. When they were close enough to him, he jumped in the air and brought down his sword through the head of one of the bulblin, killing it instantly. The second one was slow to attack him and Colin took advantage of it. He thrust his sword through its stomach and it collapsed to the ground in pain. It was still alive but unable to move. Colin motioned to Ilia that it was ok and the two of them started running down the path to get back to the path that they had previously been in, leaving the bulblin to die a slow and very painful, bloody death.

When the two of them could no longer hear the cries of the bulblin, they slowed down to a walk. Colin put his sword back in his scabbard and his shield back on his back. He took his torch out from between his belt and held it out in his hand again. He turned to Ilia who still looked a little frightened because of the bulblins that they had just encountered.

"We're gonna have to make sure to not make as much noise so we don't attract any more enemies. We don't know how many more there are so avoiding them at all costs would be the best idea," Colin said. Ilia didn't respond and Colin took this as a sign that she agreed.

The return trip to the four-path room seemed to be a lot shorter than the trip up to this dead end. For what was in reality fifteen minutes but felt like five, the two of them traveled back to the room. When they got to the room, they found it just as they left it, barely lit and empty. The two of them went back to standing in front of the sign as they were before. They had to pick a new path.

"Why don't we take the right path now?" Ilia asked.

"Why not? Maybe the right path is the right path," Colin said and he chuckled a little bit. Ilia rolled her eyes and the two of them set down the right path. This path was very short and without going very far, they could see the end of it. They were coming up on what looked like a cage.

When they approached it, they found that it was in fact a cage. There were iron bars that stretched the entire length of the room. They were holding in a rather large, strange creature that appeared to be napping. It looked like a giant cat except instead of fur, it was scaly and rough looking. Its legs were the size of tree trunks and it had two giant teeth that hung down below the jaw so that they were visible even when the creature's mouth was closed.  
Colin was intrigued by it so he started to take steps towards it to get a closer look. He took two steps and then his foot stepped on a stick that was on the ground. The stick made a loud cracking noise as Colin's foot fell on top of it. Colin stopped, paralyzed with fear. The creature's eyes had opened and it was looking at Colin with great big yellow eyes with black slits for pupils.

It let out a loud roar and smashed its head against the wooden bars that kept it confined in its cell. The bars did not give but Colin could see cracks starting to form in them. The creature smashed its head again against the bars, kicking up more dust. The bars didn't look like they could hold much longer.

"Colin, come on!" Ilia yelled at him as she tugged on Colin's shoulder. He didn't need telling twice and started running after Ilia to get away from the creature as soon as possible. As they were running down the tunnel, they heard a loud crash as the wooden bars had finally given way. They heard a loud roar followed by the sound of powerful legs hitting the ground as the creature started running after them.

Colin and Ilia reached the four-path room without the creature catching up with them. Ilia ran right past the sign into the left path however Colin stopped at the sign. He had an idea that would slow down the creature and give them some time to lose it in the maze. He took out his bow and took aim so that the arrow would fly right through the fire of the torch on top of the sign.

The creature started to come into view and Colin prepared his arrow. He quickly fired the arrow and the flaming projectile made direct contact with one of the creature's legs. It fell to the ground and howled in pain. This delay gave Colin enough time to run after Ilia down the only path that they had not previously been down yet. The path was dark and silent but Colin and Ilia didn't care. They continued to run down it because they had a giant creature after them.

The path turned left and the two of them quickly ran down it. They reached the end of it and were faced with a choice to head either right or left. As they could not hear the sound of the creature behind them, they settled down on the hard earth to catch their breath again.

"What was that thing?" Ilia asked wildly as she sat down with her arms around her legs.

"I don't know. Whatever it was though, it looked lethal," Colin answered as he sat down too. The two of them were breathing heavily and their hearts were beating a mile a minute. This was short lived however as they could suddenly hear the sound of massive footsteps approaching them.

"We need to get out of here!" Ilia screamed as they both jumped up from sitting on the ground and quickly started running down the left path.

Left, right, right, left, straight ahead, right, left, right. Ilia and Colin ran down a series of paths quickly without any regard for where they were going. They were now within the heart of the labyrinth. The two of them stopped running and stayed where they were to catch their breath again.

"So do you have any idea where we are?" Colin asked as he bent over with his hands on his knees breathing heavily.

"Not a clue. I think we are pretty close to the center of the labyrinth though. Don't ask me why, I just know," Ilia answered.

"I sure hope you're right. I'd give anything to get out of this place," Colin answered.

The two of them looked at their surroundings. They were in a rectangular room that had three different paths available to them. One was straight ahead, one to the left and one to the right.

"I think we should take the one straight ahead," Ilia said. Colin had no counter-argument so the two of them headed down the path straight ahead of them.

The path they had entered was again, identical to all the other paths they had been in. Colin and Ilia traveled down the path slowly, careful to observe their surroundings. They had traveled for around five minutes with the path not changing when they heard something that made their hearts skip a beat.

From behind them, they could hear a loud roar followed by slow, massive steps. The creature had returned and it was right behind them, yet still out of sight. Colin and Ilia looked at each other with fear in their eyes and they started running at full speed down the tunnel. The creature sensed their increase in velocity and changed its speed to catch up with them. Colin and Ilia ran with all their might but they could sense that the creature was gaining on them. Colin looked back and saw that the creature still wasn't in their sight range. However he could definitely hear it and it was right behind them.

As they ran, they saw that they were approaching another room. This room had two paths, one straight ahead and one to the left. However what was different about this room was that the left path had a faint light coming from it.

"Colin, take the left path!" Ilia shouted from in back of him as the two of them ran with all their might. Colin gave a thumbs up sign to show that he understood and kept up his pace until they reached the room. Once inside the room, the two of them dashed to the left path. Once they were in the path, they poked their heads out from around the corner to peek at the creature. When it came into view, they retracted their heads behind the wall, hiding them from sight. The creature ran right past them and went into the path straight ahead of them, away from them. Colin and Ilia both breathed a sigh of relief.

Colin and Ilia both turned their attention to the path that they're in. It was a very short path, maybe twenty or thirty feet. The light that they saw before was coming from the end of the path. It seemed to be originating from the ground. Both of them started walking towards it, eager to find out what the source of this light was.

When they got there, they saw that they were standing atop a shaft that led down to a circular room at the bottom. The light was coming from two torches that were perched at the bottom of the shaft in the circular room.

"Should we go down?" Colin asked. Ilia was looking down at the room and didn't respond immediately.

"Yeah I think this is the end of the labyrinth," Ilia responded. One right after the other, Colin and Ilia jumped down and landed with a thud in the circular room.

The room they were in now was made up of a gold colored stone. Inside the room were two torches set up on either side of a lone sign that was in the middle of the room. Colin looked towards the sign and read it aloud.

"Congratulations. You've made it to the center of the labyrinth. If you feel the need to head back to the outside of the cave in the desert, step into the blue fire that appears when all lights have been extinguished," Colin read. "It looks like we have to extinguish the lights to be able to have a quick get away."

"That's fine with me, extinguish all the light of the torches," Ilia said excitedly. Ilia blew the light out of her torch and Colin did the same so that the only two torches left were the ones on either side of the sign. Colin blew out the torch on the left and Ilia blew out the one on the right and they were plunged into darkness.

Almost immediately, a blue fire erupted in the middle of the floor. Along with the fire appearing, a huge door materialized in front of them. The blue fire's light showed them that it was one single door, with no handle. It appeared to be a door that they had to push. The two of them were now faced with a dilemma. Do they go back or face whatever lied behind that door?

"So should we go through the door?" Ilia asked. After hearing this, Colin looked as if she were crazy. Fortunately, Ilia couldn't see this in the dimly lit room.

"Of course, we've come this far haven't we?" Colin said. Ilia nodded and the two of them walked to the door. They both pushed on it, opened it and they entered a room bigger than any they had previously been in was revealed.

The first thing Ilia and Colin noticed about the room was that there was a fierce pool of bubbling lava. The room was surprisingly deep with the lava being about thirty feet below them. The only way of getting across the room was on a red metal platform that was held up by ropes that tied them to the four corners of the walls. The platform was about half the size of the rather large room so there was easily enough room for Colin and Ilia to cross. When the two of them brought their eyes to the back of the room, they saw that there was another door stationed in a direct straight path from them.

"That's probably where the Breaker Sword piece is hidden," Ilia commented. Colin agreed and the two of them started to walk across the metal platform. The platform was a little lower than the ledge that the two of them were on so they had to make a tiny jump down to the platform to begin walking towards the door. When they hit the platform it shook a little and Ilia immediately lost her balance and fell down. Colin's heart stopped for a second as she got dangerously close to the edge of the platform. She managed to roll over a bit towards the center so she was safe as the platform evened out.

"That was sudden. It looks like we need to be careful when crossing this thing," Ilia said as Colin helped her up.

"Yeah, we can't afford to be burned by lava," Colin said only half-jokingly as he and Ilia headed towards the door. As they reached the door and Colin grabbed the handle, Ilia made him stop.

"What? What's wrong?" Colin asked bewildered.

"This is too easy. I was half expecting something to attack us, but we made it to the the door unscathed. Something's got to give," Ilia said as she put her hand on Colin's hand with a very serious face. Colin considered Ilia's thought and thought about it. He then went wide-eyed as he had a scary thought.

"What if something's on the other side waiting for us?" he asked. Ilia became very deeply in thought with this statement.

"I guess we'll have to be careful. We're not going to get the Breaker Sword piece just standing here are we?" she asked.

"No we're not. We'll just have to be careful. I'm armed so I'll go first," Colin said. He took his sword out of his scabbard and held it tightly in his hand as he opened the door. He stayed behind the door until it was opened all the way and slowly looked out into the room.

The room was a very small rectangular room with only one thing in it. This thing was a pedestal with the last Breaker Sword piece on it. The room was lit by a single torch lit on the wall above the pedestal. It looked like it was a closet as it really didn't serve any other purpose than to hold the Breaker Sword piece.

Colin ran over to the Breaker Sword piece and stared at it. After a few seconds, he took it in his hands and walked over to Ilia with it.

"Colin give it to me, you can't get weighed down by its weight if we get attacked by something. You need to be mobile," Ilia said and she extended her hand. Colin hesitated for a second, he didn't really think that carrying the sword shard would slow him down that much but he gave it to Ilia anyway as he didn't want to have a fight. Ilia took it in her hands and walked outside the room. Colin quickly followed her out of it and they were back in the big lava room.

Colin and Ilia had been walking across the platform and were about half way across it when they heard a splash of lava coming from behind them. When they turned around to look, there was a humanoid figure standing in back at them. It was about six feet tall with an entirely red body. It looked like a naked human male with a muscular chest, arms and legs with no clothes on it. Its head was long and came to a flaming point at the top. It grasped two flaming red swords in its hands.

"Where do you two think you're going?" the creature yelled. "Don't think you'll make it out of here that easy."

"Colin, run!" Ilia shouted. Colin was right behind her and the two started running towards the open door. The creature smirked and snapped its fingers and the door started to close. The two of them started running even faster, desperate to get to the door before it closed.

Suddenly Colin's leg caught on the hard surface of the platform and he fell flat on his face. This mistake on his part caught him dearly, Ilia had made it before the door closed but he wasn't as lucky. He looked up and saw that the door had dematerialized and wasn't even there anymore.

Ilia had jumped through the door just in the nick of time and was back in the room with the blue fire. She looked around her but she didn't see Colin anywhere. She then turned around to look at the door but it was gone. The truth hit her that Colin didn't get out. He was stuck in there with that monster and there was no where she could help.

"Colin!" "Colin!" "COLIN!" she yelled as she banged on the wall where the door used to be as tears started to form in her eyes.

Colin had just gotten up when he heard Ilia screaming his name and he scrambled over to the wall where the door was.

"Ilia is that you?" Colin asked. Even after he asked it he knew it was a dumb question. Of course it was her she was here two seconds ago.

"Yeah. Colin just hold on in there! I'll try and get you out somehow!" Ilia shouted from the other side of the wall.

"No! Just go without me!" Colin shouted back. Ilia couldn't waste time trying to help him, she needed to get the last Breaker Sword piece to Link.

"What?! I'm not going without you!" Ilia screamed, outraged at the suggestion. Colin wouldn't have any of it though.

"NO! You have to get back to Link and give him the Breaker Sword piece!" Colin bellowed.

"But…" Ilia began.

"JUST GO!" Colin roared. He heard no more of Ilia's voice so he assumed that she had taken his advice.

Ilia slowly raised herself up from the ground, she had knelt down on her knees to hear Colin better and be closer to the door. She quickly ran to the blue fire and stepped inside, tears streaming down her face. When she stepped into the fire, she felt no pain, but a tickling sensation. This sensation was followed with a bright flash of light and in the blick of an eye, she was standing at the beginning of the cave. She could see the sunlight of the Gerudo Desert and was amazed that she was back at the beginning again.

Back in the lava room, Colin stood up. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. He then opened his eyes and turned around to face the creature that had been standing on the platform with his arms across its chest, laughing the whole time. He started walking towards the creature and withdrew his sword. He didn't know how he knew, but he knew that his only hope of getting out of this place would be to defeat it.

"Want to know the only way to make the door reappear? You have to beat me. Looks like you're all out of luck kid," the creature said as he too prepared his swords for battle. Colin didn't appear intimidated. He held his ground and stood the creature down.

"We'll see who's out of luck when I'm done with you."

**Next Chapter: Resolutions of Light and Darkness **(tentative title)


	23. Chapter 23: A Step Forward

**Author's Note: I haven't forgotten about this story! It's been awhile but chapter 23 is finally here for you to enjoy. As always, please feel free to share your thoughts in a review. Thank you for being patient.**

Chapter 23: A Step Forward

Ilia emerged from the fire and was back at the entrance to the cave. The sun in the Gerudo Desert was just about to set and there was hardly any wind blowing. She stood there, crying silent tears for Colin, who she hoped would be alright. She quickly pulled herself together and started to walk from the cave out into the desert sand, a more determined expression on her face. Colin wouldn't have wanted her to stand around crying for him. Colin would've wanted her to do the task that needed to be done; get the Breaker Sword piece to Link.

Ilia walked the length of the valley and started climbing the hill that led to the Cave of Ordeals entrance. Once she got to the top of the hill, she reached her hand into her pocket and felt around for the Breaker Sword piece. Once she grasped it with her hand she was satisfied, she could not afford to lose it, as it was vital. She looked out into the vast expanse of the desert and saw that nothing had changed. It was still as desolate as it was before.

As Ilia stood there however, she was faced with the grim reality that she didn't have a plan. How was she going to get back down to Lake Hylia? She stood there, thinking hard to herself and scanning the area. At the far west side of the Gerudo Desert, was a large mountain that served as the boundary between the lake and the desert. As far as Ilia knew, there was no way to get down except to jump. This prospect scared her and decided that it was best to get over to the other side first and then make a decision when she got there.

As Ilia stood there contemplating her actions, she noticed something that made her plans of getting over to the other side get that much tougher. Night had fallen in the desert, and with the night came the bulbins. Ilia stood there watching as they emerged from their hideout near the foot of Arbiter's Grounds and set off, some by foot and some by bulbo, to go in search of prey.

Cursing her bad luck, Ilia started to climb down the side of the hill onto the desert sand and started her trek across to the other side. She moved quietly yet deliberately, making sure not to draw too much attention to herself. She moved with the trenches, as they effectively made her lower in the ground and much harder to spot. As she crossed the first trench and got to more open land, she stopped and looked at her surroundings. She peered off into all directions and saw that there weren't any bulbins in her area. Delighted by her good fortune, she crossed the open land quickly and hid in another trench.

However her feet echoed loudly in the sand. As soon as Ilia made it to the trench she stopped, horrified, as she heard the sound of bulbins screeching and bulbos stampeding to her current location. Her heart beating a mile a minute, Ilia frantically searched for a place to hide. Her eyes fell upon a couple of large boulders located next to the wall of the trench. There was an opening behind one of them that she thought she could fit into. With no other options, she dashed to a boulder and hid behind it.

Almost immediately, a bulbo with a bulbin on it appeared and two other bulbins that were walking by foot followed suit. The bulbin on top of the bulbo jumped down and joined the other two in looking for the source of the noise. They slowly walked down the trench, getting closer and closer to where Ilia was.

Ilia started to panic. She had to think of something before they found her and captured her. Her eyes came to a small rock lying on the ground next to her. She didn't think this would work but she picked up the rock and took aim. She peered out in front of the boulder and threw the rock in the opposite direction she was heading, praying that the bulbins wouldn't see the rock and hear the noise, get distracted and then leave her alone.

The rock hit the ground with a loud thud and all three of the bulbins looked up in union to the sound of it. They started talking to each other in a language indistinguishable to Ilia and then headed back down the trench in search for what made the noise. She breathed a sigh of relief that they were gone. She emerged from the boulder and was set to begin her journey across the desert.

Suddenly a crazy idea struck Ilia. She turned to the bulbo that was still standing there, alone with no guard. She thought to herself whether it would be a good idea to try and ride the thing. On the one hand, she'd never ridden one of these things before but on the other, it would drastically cut down the time she spent traversing the land. She decided to try and ride it, because really, how much different was it than a horse?

After making sure that there were no more bulbins around, Ilia quickly and quietly made her way to the bulbo. The bulbo started to look at her with its eyes focused on her as if saying "don't you dare". She climbed onto the bulbo and grabbed the reins. Immediately the bulbo reared back and started running at a high speed and crying at the top of its lungs.

"Sshh! Please calm down!" Ilia shouted. However the bulbo would not calm down and started running towards the bulbin hideout. She started gripping the reigns tight, trying to tame the beast. The beast shook its head and slowed down. It stopped and became calm. She kicked the bulbo's sides and it started running again. She leaned left and the bulbo started running left, away from the bulbin stronghold.

However the frantic crying of the bulbo as if Ilia was trying to kill it had alerted the bulbins to their presence. Ilia heard the sound of hooves hitting the desert sand and looked over her shoulder to see three bulbos running towards them, each with two bulbins on top of them, one with a flaming bow and arrow, another leading the bulbin. She maneuvered between trenches and rocks trying to lose the bulbins but no matter how fast she lead the bulbo she couldn't lose them. The bulbins were just too used to riding the bulbo, while shew as an amateur.

Suddenly Ilia saw a bulbo and bulbins straight ahead of her. She leaned to the right quickly to avoid them, only now she was heading back towards the bulbin strongholds. More bulbos came running at her from all directions, all of them with bulbins with flaming arrows on top of them.

Ilia didn't know what to do. The bulbins and bulbos were starting to surround her. Everywhere she turned the bulbo, there were at least two bulbin clad bulbos surrounding her. She couldn't go anywhere; the bulbos were closing in on her and forming a circle. Each one of the bulbins carrying a bow took aim with their flaming arrows. They were getting ready to shoot her.

Suddenly a bright light illuminated the entire night sky. It was a blinding white light, forcing Ilia to cover her eyes with her hands. When the light faded, she opened her eyes and saw that each of the bulbos carrying bulbins had disappeared. They had appeared to have run off from the light. However there was a new figure floating in front of Ilia. The only reason she was not scared out of her mind was the fact that she had heard stories about this figure from Link and knew it wasn't harmful.

Floating in front of her was a serpent that appeared to be made entirely out of light. In its mouth was a giant ball of bright, white light. Along its back were a bunch of strange circular markings. However it was faintly glowing, as if it was suffering.

"I…am the…guardian of…the Lanayru Province. I could sense…your were in…danger so…I decided to…help. You are…crucial to…Hyrule's survival…so we cannot...lose you," the spirit said weakly.

"Me? Why am I crucial? What's going on?" asked a bewildered Ilia.

"You posess…the final Breaker Sword piece…you must…give it to Link. Hyrule is falling…to Ganondorf. He is draining…the power of…us lake spirits. He wishes…to turn the world…into twilight…like Zant before him. My power is weak…all I can do…is transport you…to Lake Hylia…hopefully that…will be of assistance," the light spirit said.

"Wait, I have more questions!" Ilia shouted but her words fell on death ears. A blinding light surrounded Ilia and she was lifted into the air. In an instant she felt herself being compressed and flying through the sky. A second later she was standing in front of Fyer's cannon along Lake Hylia.

Within seconds of coming down in front of the cannon, she felt two strong hands grab her and pull her into the shadows. She felt herself being taken inside the cannon into a small, dark room, only lighted by a single torch. By the light of the torch, Ilia could see that her captor was Fyer, the owner of the cannon.

"Are you crazy girl? Wanderin' around with them monsters everywhere?" Fyer said in a shocked voice.

"Monsters? What do you mean?" Ilia asked.

"Terrible, black monsters. Look like wild, deformed humans. They're vicious, unforgiving creatures. I seen them kill at least three people already. With that Ganondorf character takin' over the place, them monsters are everywhere. He done made the cave on the other side of the lake one of his bases," Fyer explained.

"Wait so Ganondorf's taken over? What about Link and Zelda?" Ilia asked, starting to worry.

"Zelda and her troops retreated to Zora's Domain. From what I heard, they're safe, as the beasts can't get up there. However Link ain't with them. I haven't heard anything about where he's at," Fyer said in a low voice. Ilia started to become even more worried, it wasn't like Link to just disappear without telling anyone where he is. However, she thought that he was just doing something and would join Zelda and everyone there.

"Well, I have to get to Zora's Domain then. I have to give Zelda this piece of a sword," Ilia said as she took out the Breaker Sword and showed it to Fyer. "This sword piece is essential in destroying Ganondorf".

"Hmm…I see. Well then we need to get you to Zora's Domain. I got an idea! I can blast you there with my cannon!" Fyer said enthusiastically.

"Ok. But where exactly is Zora's Domain?" Ilia asked.

"Listen carefully. Zora's Domain is located in northern half of Hyrule. There's a river up there that'll take you to Zora's Domain directly," Fyer explained.

"Ok, so let's go," Ilia said with a confident voice.

"Ok, I'll help you. We must move quickly so beasts don't get us," Fyer said, getting up. He opened the door to the cannon and walked out as quietly as he could. He motioned for Ilia to follow suit with his hand and she quickly got up and followed him. Fyer suddenly put his arm in front of her, holding her back.

"See over there?" he whispered as he pointed to the shore on the other side. "Thems be those monsters I told you about." Ilia looked and saw that there were three shadow beasts walking around on the other side of the bank.

"Come on," Fyer whispered urgently. Ilia followed him as he went to the spinning part of the cannon. She quickly got into the cannon and waited tensely for him to get it started. Fyer started turning the lever of the cannon and it started making the noise that signaled that the cannon was working. Ilia could feel the cannon turning into position for fire.

However the loud noise of the cannon came with a drawback. The shadow beasts on the other side of the field stopped and turned to look at the cannon. When they saw Fyer standing there, they leapt into action and started racing towards the cannon. As Fyer saw this, fear started running through his veins. He knew he couldn't stop the cannon, for Ilia had to get to Zora's Domain. But it also made him a sitting duck for the beasts. The beasts would get him but that was something he was willing the risk. He needed to help this girl. If they got him, they got him. He kept turning the handle.

Inside the cannon, Ilia couldn't see anything so she was anxiously waiting for the cannon to spring into action. She braced herself and two seconds later, a loud blast filled the air and she was shot towards northern Hyrule. Horror and sadness filled Ilia however as the last thing she heard were Fyer's screams of pain and the sound of flesh being ripped into. Ilia flew through the air for around ten seconds and landed in northern Hyrule field. She was on the path headed to the mountains that housed Zora's Domain.

_Thank you Fyer, I'll never forget what you did to help me_, she thought to herself silently, mourning the loss of the man who helped her. It hit her that she was probably the only one who would know he'd been killed. She shed a couple tears but then decided to press on. She took a couple of steps forward and then stopped because there was a ball of light flashing in front of her.

The ball of light disappeared and Princess Zelda was standing in front of Ilia. She had a smile on her face, as if glad to see her. She extended her arm.

"Come Ilia, take my hand. There's not much time. We need to get you to the safety of Zora's Domain. I'll explain everything when we're there," Zelda said to Ilia. Ilia, relieved to see Zelda, took her hand. She finally felt safe. When she took Zelda's hand, they were instantaneously transported to Zora's Domain.

They were in the throne room where Prince Ralis resided. This room consisted of a pool in the center and an outward bank, with a throne in the far back of the room. The walls were a very elegant blue and decorated with all sorts of jewels and pearls. The decoration here was designed to give a happy, carefree atmosphere, but the attitude here was that of worry and dread. Ilia could sense it as soon as they arrived. Zora, Goron, and human alike were pacing and trying to console each other. There were groups of people huddled in the corners of the room, sitting quietly, as if wondering how all this had happened and what their fate was going to be.

"Why is everyone so depressed and worried?" asked Ilia, turning to Zelda.

"Because Hyrule is at great risk. While you and Colin were trying to get the last Breaker Sword piece, we were fighting the shadow beasts and Ganondorf. Ganondorf's army of monsters overwhelmed us and we were forced to retreat. This place was the safest we could come to. We destroyed the Bridge of Eldin and the Lanayru Bridge so that we couldn't be followed here. The Zoras have been gracious enough to provide shelter for us while we regroup," Zelda explained with a sad face.

"So…Ganondorf's going to win?" asked Ilia with a crestfallen voice.

"That remains to be seen. You succeeded in getting the final Breaker Sword piece, correct?" Zelda asked.

"Yes we did," Ilia answered as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the sword shard, giving it to Zelda. Zelda took it and looked it over in her hands.

"Very good. You have done well Ilia. However this does us no good now as Link is in possession of the other two Breaker Sword pieces," Zelda said with a sad face.

"Where is Link?" Ilia asked. Zelda gave a huge sigh and looked at the ground.

"No one knows."

* * *

Colin and the creature were staring at each other in the lava room of the underground labyrinth. The creature started laughing.

"You're a confident little boy aren't you? I'll show you where your confidence will get you. NOWHERE! Hahahahahahahahahah" the creature shouted. Then with a flaming sword in each hand, the creature jumped towards Colin. Colin who was ready for it, dodged to the side and rolled behind it. He then jumped with his sword and pointed his blade at the creature. The creature put up both of its flaming swords in front of Colin's sword to deflect the blow. The flames transferred over to Colin's sword and now Colin's sword was enflamed. The flames went no lower than the blade however, so it was safe. The creature swung one of its swords at Colin's feet. Colin avoided it by jumping up and swung his sword at the creature's head, which the creature promptly blocked with one of its flaming swords.

"You're pretty good. But you're still no match for me," the creature said.

"I disagree," responded Colin.

"Hmph! I'll teach you some respect!" the creature spat. He jabbed one of his swords towards Colin. Colin blocked it with his shield and retaliated by swiping with his sword, knocking the sword out of the creature's hand and sending it into the lava, leaving it with only one sword.

"You insolent rat! You'll pay for that!" the creature yelled as it sprung towards Colin. Colin had to toss his shield aside as it was engulfed in flames, leaving him with only a sword. Colin met the creature's sword with his and the two traded blows back and fourth. Neither one could gain the advantage as their blades danced in the fiery pit. The clash of steel echoed loudly throughout the arena as strike after strike was met.

As the two of them were locked in combat, the creature got in a surprise hit against Colin, knocking the sword out of Colin's hand. The sword flew through the air and landed on the side of the arena. Colin looked at the creature for a second in fear and then dashed towards the sword. The creature ran after him and prepared to strike him down with its sword.

Colin looked behind him and saw the creature gaining on him. When he reached the sword he rolled to the left and the creature's momentum carried it forward so that it was up against the edge of the lava pit. Colin took advantage of this and made to stab it in the back with his sword. However the creature stuck its leg out and kicked Colin in the stomach. Colin, taken by surprise, was sent backwards and hit the floor. His sword fell out of his hand and he just laid there, his stomach in pain. The creature walked over to where Colin was with a grin on its face. It stood over Colin and brought its sword above its head with two hands. He brought it down hard but its sword just hit the stone floor, Colin having rolled away to safety and was heading over to get his sword.

Colin picked up his sword and steadied himself to continue the battle. He was breathing a little heavily but he had plenty of fight left in him. The creature could see his determination and grinned.

"I like the fight in you. It's a shame I have to kill you," he said with a sigh.

"You can't kill me," Colin said in a very serious voice.

"Your mouth is starting to get to me. You're just making me angrier. That's a very bad idea," the creature said. Colin said nothing and held his sword up in front of him.

The creature and Colin both started running towards each other. They both slashed their swords in front of the each other but they merely clashed blades. As one of them jabbed, the other would counter and vice versa. They continued this exchange of flaming metal for quite some time, neither one having the advantage.

Colin aimed a blow at the creature's feet. The creature dodged it and sent a blade strike for the head. Colin dodged it by lowering his head and aimed a kick at the creature's chest. The creature fell back stunned. Colin used this as a perfect opportunity and swiped his sword at the hand of the creature, sending its sword flying through the air into the lava, leaving it defenseless. The creature backed away in fear. Colin did a vertical slice across the creature's chest and it fell to the ground, with blood spewing everywhere. Colin pointed his sword down at the creature's head.

"You're done. Now let me out of here," Colin said.

The creature just started laughing. His laughter echoed loudly in the enclosed lava chamber.

"What's so funny?" Colin asked, his voice a little less confident.

"You just don't get it, do you?" laughed the creature. "I was just having fun with you. You can't leave this place. Not when I control all the lava in the room. I can flood this room and you won't survive anyway. So good luck."

Fear started running through Colin's mind. As the creature rose its arm and lava started flooding out of the walls, he frantically searched for a way out. However in his heart, he knew it was hopeless. There was no way out. He was going to die, be burned alive.

The lava was rapidly rising higher and higher. Colin stood still; he was not going to show fear in his final moments. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and calmed himself. He knew it was over, but he didn't feel sad. He felt like he had done his job. As the lava reached the height of the floor and then overflowed up and over Colin's head, his entire body burned. He couldn't feel his skin anymore as it was scorched. As the lava torched his entire body he felt great pain, but did not cry out. He refused. His last thoughts before his body and mind were destroyed and removed from this earth were.

_At least I was able to help Link. At least I was able to be useful._

**Next Chapter: Help from an Unlikely Source**


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